Like Water and Oil
by Evelynn
Summary: World of Warcraft. Boy meets Girl. Girl is from the opposing faction. Girl is not at all what the Boy expected. And vice versa. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Author's notes: Hey there! Thanks for taking the time to read this! I do have a couple things to mention before you delve into this little creation of mine. First off, I do not own the rights to World of Warcraft or Blizzard. Obviously. Second, I am not a writer. This is my first fanfic. Hell, this is my first time writing anything that didn't need to be turned in at the end of the semester. So if it really sucks, and I'm pretty sure it does, chalk it up to lack of experience and don't completely bash me if you review it, please. Third, I am open to constructive criticism, as long as it's CONSTRUCTIVE. If you find any spelling errors, please let me know. I like to think spelling is my strong point when it comes to the English language, and if you find anything I missed I would be more than happy to correct it. Fourth, do not expect frequent updates. I will definitely finish this story eventually, but I have a life just like everyone else. I'm currently finishing up college, so this story will not be my number-one priority. I do have most of it roughly planned out, so it's not going to take years to finish, just so you know. Okay, my rant is done. Please read and review, and enjoy:)

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_I be too tired fo' dis crap…_ thought the troll as he wiped the blood off his knife on his pants. This was the fifth bear he ran into within the past hour, and he was starting to run out of energy, as well as time. He shaded his eyes and looked towards the setting sun in the west. _Don' look like I be makin' it ta Splintatree Post befo' dark… 'specially if I keep runnin' into tings like dis. _ He cast one more distasteful glance on the corpse before walking away in search of a place to rest for the night.

Despite the mild annoyance the bears posed, he rather liked Ashenvale forest. He'd never seen a place so lush with vegetation. The tall trees formed a thick canopy overhead, letting sunlight gently leak through to cast patterns on the forest floor. The floor itself was completely covered with soft grass, vibrant flowers, and thick bushes in all shapes and sizes. Heck, he didn't see dirt or even know if it existed here for half a day, everything was so covered with green. He looked down at the ground and noticed how thick and luxurious the grass felt on his feet. _Guess it won' be so bad ta sleep out 'ere. _ However, the forest was also rich in animal life, some of which were not the friendliest of creatures. He had to find a safe clearing before he could rest for the night, preferably a place with some…

He could faintly hear the sound of running water from somewhere in front of him. Perfect. He continued on until the sound got louder, and decided to proceed a little more carefully, approaching as stealthily as he could. He was always one to err on the side of caution, and being a rogue, he could never be too cautious. Reckless rogues were dead rogues. Besides, there were things more dangerous than beasts out here.

When he finally reached the sound, he found a little pool of water with a small waterfall, if it could even be called that, draining into it along the side of a small outcropping of rocks. The place seemed safe enough, it was mostly well-hidden by trees and other vegetation, but he still didn't emerge from his spot in the bushes. He sensed something was here, but he couldn't tell exactly. Then he heard some sounds coming from the other end of the pool, and froze. He did sense something… and it sure wasn't a bear. He briefly considered just leaving and finding another source of water, but his curiosity won against his better judgment. Without making a sound, he slowly made his way along the pool, never emerging from the bushes, until he reached the other side. _Well dat's jus' great… _ He thought sarcastically as he saw what was only a few meters before him.

It was a night elf. She was standing with her back to him, stretching her arms above her head in the air, fingers laced, palms up. She held that pose for a few seconds, then brought her arms down as she yawned._ Apparently she jus' got up,_ he thought as he looked her over. She was fairly tall, even for a night elf, and had long, delicate-looking ears that stuck out of her dark, emerald-green hair, which hung loosely down to her waist. Her skin, what little of it he could see, was pale and had a light purple hue to it. She was wearing a white swashbuckler's shirt, dark grey leather pants, a thick black belt, a dagger strapped to her thigh, and tall brown cuffed boots. _A'least she be easy on da eyes_, he grinned as he looked over her slender figure.

The night elf was now slowly looking from side to side, taking in her surroundings and trying to sense for any danger, including any trolls who might be within spitting distance behind her. Despite the strong Alliance presence, this was technically a contested area, and she didn't want to take any chances. She also took a quick glance at the ebony panther that was sleeping near her belongings under a nearby tree, as if guarding them. _Great. She be a hunter as well. _Hunters were always a pain in the ass for him to deal with. He came to the conclusion that he needed to dispose of this elf before she became a serious problem for him, and started to unsheathe one of his daggers. He watched her closely, waiting patiently for an opening. When she was done surveying her surroundings, she visibly relaxed, content that there was no immediate threat. There was his chance. With his dagger ready, he was just about to move forward and put an end to her existence… when she started taking off her shirt.

He froze. His body froze, his mind froze, everything just froze as he watched her remove her shirt and gently toss it to the side. When she started unbuckling her belt, he started to settle back into his hiding spot with a huge grin plastered on his face. _Dis might be intrestin'…_he thought as he sheathed his dagger. She didn't pose an immediate threat, so he didn't have to kill her right away, right? He sat with his hand under his chin and watched as she removed the rest of her clothes, wishing he could be watching from the front, but not minding much either way.

Finally tossing her bra and underwear to the side, she slowly walked into the pool, letting herself get accustomed to the temperature. When she got up to her waist, she was already starting to shiver. She hesitated a little before taking a deep breath and submerging herself completely into the pool. After a few long seconds, she resurfaced with a splash, gasping from the sudden coldness. Her pet sleeping nearby lazily looked up at her and let out a huge yawn, baring its teeth and curling its tongue. She laughed lightly and playfully splashed it, causing the big cat to cringe and groan in annoyance. She then waded around for a couple minutes, completely oblivious to the pair of eyes watching her from the bushes. She then swam towards the small trickle of a waterfall and climbed onto the rocks beneath it, causing the breath to catch in the troll's throat as she finally faced his direction.

She was _beautiful. _ Her skin was flawless, not marked by any tribal markings like the ones he's seen on most night elves. Her back was arched slightly as she tilted her head back to let the water run through her hair, displaying her full breasts. Her delicate hands were lightly running through her hair, searching for any tangles. Her face, now that he could see it, was what struck him the most. Her eyes were large, silvery pools of light which glowed faintly, and were half-lidded with pleasure as she continued the attentions to her hair. Her full lips were slightly curved into a contented smile, making her look so serene he wondered how he ever thought she could have been a threat.

Deciding she was done with her bath, she climbed down off the rocks and started swimming to the edge. He sighed inwardly. The bath was too short, as far as he was concerned. Then again, it could have lasted three hours and he still would have thought it was too short. When the elf reached her belongings, she fished through her pack for a minute and took out a long-toothed comb from its depths. She then walked onto a nearby rock to dry off in the sun, which was quickly setting over the horizon by now. She kneeled down and sat back on her heels while she gathered her hair over her shoulder. She then proceeded to comb it, getting rid of a few last tangles before letting it dry. As the troll watched her for a few minutes, sitting gracefully while gently combing her long hair, the dim dusk light making her skin glow, he knew for sure that she had to be the most beautiful creature he's ever seen.

_A shame, really…_ he thought to himself. She had finished with her hair and was now walking towards her clothes. He was a little hesitant about killing her now, but she _was _one of the Alliance, and she probably wouldn't hesitate to kill _him_. He watched her dress for a minute, which he found could be just as interesting as watching her undress. After she put on her shirt, pants and belt she started fastening the dagger to her thigh, at which point he though it was a good time to intervene. He reached for his dagger again and started to move forward. It was her own fault, really, for leaving herself so vulnerable. She didn't even set up a trap or anyth-

SNAP!

…_well shit_.

He quickly rolled to the side as the explosion trap went off, managing to avoid most of the damage, but was still stunned for a couple of seconds. As soon as he recovered, he realized what he just did. _Shit!_ He quickly stood and turned to face the elf, just as an arrow went by his head, barely missing him. _Damn, she be a quick one._ The elf had already grabbed her bow and was now glaring at him threateningly.

"KALI!" she yelled towards her pet, her fierce eyes never leaving his as she grabbed another arrow and readied it. She didn't need to call it; the panther was already closing the distance between them. _Dis ain' good,_ he thought as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object. He quickly threw it against the ground, causing a flash of light and smoke to envelope him. The elf had to shield her eyes for a second, but when she lowered her arm, he was gone. Kali was shaking her head and pawing at her nose, the smoke obviously having an affect on her.

_Damn…_ the elf thought to herself. She scanned the entire area, moving only her eyes as she stood there motionless. Now that her pet had passed out, she was definitely at a disadvantage. She had her back to the water, so she would probably hear him if he tried to sneak up from behind… A sound directly to her right startled her, and when she quickly turned, she was surprised to find the rogue going through her belongings, of all things! Before she could react, he had found the purse containing her gold and grinned as he held it up. She gasped and quickly made a move to snatch it from him, but he easily dodged and maneuvered around her, taunting her with the purse as he backed away.

She had enough of this. She reached for her bow… only to find it missing. She frantically searched around her, but couldn't find it. She had an idea where it was, though. When she glared back at the troll, he was holding her purse in one hand, her bow in the other, and was sticking his tongue out at her, making a "Nyeeeeeeeh!" sound. Her nose crinkled in frustration as she continued her death glare. The troll only grinned, and tossed the bow aside as he pocketed the coin purse. Still grinning, he then withdrew a dagger and held it defensively in front of him, while the other hand was raised in a "bring it" gesture.

She narrowed her eyes. It seemed like he was challenging her to a knife fight. He could easily have just killed her and left with her money by now, so she couldn't think of any other reason for him taunting her. Not one to back down from a challenge (that and she wanted her money back), she quickly withdrew the dagger on her thigh and started to charge him, surprising him a little with her speed and impulsiveness. He braced himself for the encounter, thinking this fight might become more difficult than he thought. He didn't have to worry about that, though, because just before the elf reached him, with her dagger ready to strike… she slipped and fell flat on her face.

Several seconds went by without either one making a sound. The troll just looked down at the night elf with a shocked expression on his face, while she lay completely motionless on the ground. She forgot that she wasn't wearing her boots, and the rocks around the pool, she discovered, were very slippery indeed. She didn't even bother trying to get up, partially to hide her mortification, but mostly because she was waiting for the final blow that would send her off this plane of existence…

But it never came.

Instead, the deafening silence was broken by the sound of riotous laughter. She lifted her head and stared at him in disbelief. _He's LAUGHING at me?_ He had his head tossed back and was letting loose, not caring if he attracted the attention of everything in the whole forest. His laughter was even starting to rouse her pet. She almost wished he had just killed her and put her out of her misery, instead of putting her through this kind of embarrassment. She made a move to get up, but gasped when a sharp pain shot through her leg. She glanced down at it. Her pants came down to her upper calf, and the skin below that was slightly scraped, but other than that her leg looked fine. When she tried to move her ankle, though, she winced and gritted her teeth.

_I sprained it. Wonderful._ With some pain and effort, she managed to get up on her feet, leaning most of her weight on her good leg. The troll was now on his knees, clutching his sides, still laughing. It looked like he was about to cry from laughing so much. _Oh, I'll make you cry…_ Murderous thoughts went through her head as she stood there, fists clenched, trembling with anger, and glaring at him with such intensity that it would have made a rabid wolf cringe in fear. The troll looked up, and instantly stopped laughing. The grin on his face was even starting to melt away into a look of fearful awe. She would have felt very smug about wiping that stupid grin off his face… if he was looking at her. But he wasn't. He was looking directly behind her.

She quickly turned around, just in time to see a huge water elemental twice her size raise its massive arm to swing at her. She had no time to dodge, and before she knew it she was knocked to the side several meters into a large tree trunk, hitting it with such force that she blacked out for a couple of seconds. When she opened her eyes again, the elemental was heading towards her, and the rogue was nowhere to be seen. _Hmph. Chicken-shit… _Her head was throbbing now, and her vision was a little blurry as she tried to focus on the enraged elemental approaching her. As she slowly tried to get up, her pet, now awake and a little pissed about her master getting injured, jumped between the two, trying to at least distract the elemental. She was unsuccessful, as she too was soon knocked away like a rag doll. The elemental turned its attention back to the elf, who had managed to sit up, but couldn't do much more. She knew she couldn't handle another hit like the one before. She started to panic; her mind was racing, trying to find a way to escape, but in the end she realized it was futile. The only thing she could do was clench her eyes shut and pray to Elune that it would soon be over.

She then heard a loud bang and was instantly surrounded by smoke. This startled the elemental, but it quickly recovered and took a swipe at the smoke... only to find no one in it. It swung again, confirming that the night elf was now gone. As the smoke cleared, it let out a bestial roar and turned around, leaving the area under the tree and searching for another victim.

Meanwhile, up in that tree, the troll was sitting on a branch with the night elf in his arms, supporting her knees with one hand and covering her mouth with the other, lest she give away their location. As the elemental left the immediate vicinity of the tree, he slowly took his hand off her mouth, giving her a look that said "Don't make a sound." He watched the elemental from his perch intently, not daring to move until it was out of sight. The elf, however, was oblivious to the elemental and was staring wide-eyed at her savior. _Why didn't he just let me die?_ she wondered. Never mind that he could have killed her easily before more than once, but didn't. This was different. He actually went _out of his way_ to save her. Why? Weren't trolls known to be merciless and cruel? She's never encountered any trolls like him before… She stared at him a little more intently. Come to think of it, this was the first time she's ever been so close to a troll. She took in his appearance more closely, since now they weren't trying to kill each other.

He was tall and had a skinny, wiry build, but she could see he wasn't a pushover by the toned muscles tensed under his pale blue skin. He had thick dark red hair, cut short and looking slightly spiky. It seemed to have a will of its own, especially the stray bangs that fell in front of his face and obscured his eyes. The rest of his features looked a little severe, as most trolls tend to look. He had a long, sharp nose, guarded amber eyes, large tusks jutting up out of his bottom jaw, and pointed ears that amazingly were even longer than hers. He was wearing a vest, pants, two daggers, and arm and leg bracers, all made of black leather. She noticed that trolls didn't wear shoes, figuring their feet just weren't made for them. He didn't notice her staring at him, still focused on the elemental that just wouldn't leave. She felt like saying something to break the awkward silence. _I should probably thank him at least…_

"T… Talah osa…" she said, barely above a whisper. The troll, startled, quickly turned and looked at her, looking surprised and a little confused. The elf immediately realized what she said and glanced away, feeling a little embarrassed. _Of course he doesn't speak Darnassian, you idiot!_ He, on the other hand, was surprised that she said anything at all. Most night elves would sooner spit on a troll than talk to him. It only took him a few seconds to realized what she probably meant, and muttered something that she could only assume in his language meant "Your welcome." She looked back at him, a little surprised at first, and then gave him a timid smile. He grinned back at her, and turned his attention back to the rampaging elemental.

After a few minutes, the area was finally clear. By this time the sun had completely set, and what little light was left on the horizon was quickly fading as night started to descend on the forest. The troll hopped down from the branch and set the elf back on her feet, a little too roughly he realized when she let out a yelp of pain and grabbed his arm for support to keep from falling. When he gave her a confused look, she looked at him sheepishly and pointed at her injured ankle. He understood and, before she could protest, took one of her arms around his neck and held her waist with his other hand. She felt silly being so vulnerable and needing help, but she couldn't help it now, especially since she wanted to get to her pet as soon as possible.

"Kali…" she said and pointed to where the panther was still laying unconscious. The troll slowly started walking towards the big cat, keeping his pace as close to hers as possible. _He's still trying to help me,_ she thought to herself. His behavior was really starting to confuse her. Then an idea popped into her head. She looked up at him, unsure of what to do. _Well, it couldn't hurt to try, I guess…_

"What's your name?" she asked, this time speaking in Common, the language humans used. He froze and turned towards her, looking completely shocked. _Did I do something wrong? _she thought as he continued to stare at her. She suddenly felt very self-conscious under his gaze, and couldn't help but turn away. "N-nevermind," she quickly stammered, pretending as if she never said anything. They continued to walk on, but he kept looking back down at her occasionally. She was actually trying to communicate with him! Night elves _never_ tried to talk to trolls, not even to insult them. Trolls were considered so far beneath them that they didn't think they were worth the time and effort to insult. She, however, was making an effort to talk to him somehow. She wasn't all high-and-mighty and uptight like every other night elf he's ever met. He found himself liking her more and more by the minute.

"Da name's Raj'iki," he said. It was the elf's turn to look shocked. She looked up at him with wide eyes, not sure if she really heard him or just imagined it. He flashed her a wicked grin, pulled her closer to him, and lowered his head to hers as he whispered "but ya can call me Raj."

She blushed furiously, her lavender face turning a few shades darker. Nonetheless, she still maintained her composure. "So you know Common," she said, ignoring his flirty behavior. "I'm a little surprised, considering it's a language spoken by the Alliance."

"Ya mon, I kno' Common. Lot o' trolls do. It be called Common fo' a reason, ya kno'." He smirked at her.

_Great. He's a flirt AND a smartass._

"I be surprised dat you kno' Common yo'self, mon," he continued. "I tought you night elves were too good ta learn summin' like dat."

Her long eyebrow started twitching, and she shot a glare up at him. "I think I liked you better when I couldn't understand you."

He laughed heartily at her comeback, glad to see she at least had a witty sense of humor. They continued to walk on in silence for a few more moments.

"Zelinda."

"…Eh?"

"My name is Zelinda."

He looked down at her and grinned. _Zelinda, eh? Pretty name._

They left the conversation at that and walked in silence, not having much else to say as night fully descended upon them. Except…

"May I have my purse back now?"

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	2. Chapter 2

Author's notes: Hello again! Many thanks to the people who left comments for me! As for one comment, left by Lorok (thanks again!) it made me go back and read my chapter again, to see what he/she was talking about, since I didn't quite know. After reading it, I realized it did sound odd, and cursed myself for not proofreading it more thoroughly before I posted it. I wasn't going to change anything, though, being a firm believer in using criticism to improve future writings instead of correcting old ones. However, it bugged me all throughout writing this second chapter, so I buckled and fixed it, cutting out about half a sentence. Moral of the story: proofreading for more than just spelling and grammatical errors is a _good_ thing! (especially if you take frequent breaks when writing chapters.) Anyway, I appreciate all the comments, and it encouraged me to finish the second chapter right away, so here you go! Not as long as the last one, but hope you like it! The next chapter is probably going to be really long, plus school has started again, so don't expect it for a while. I'll try my best to get it out soon, though!

(By the way, it is SO hard trying to work out Raj's accent…)

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"Are you sure you're not getting tired?" said Zelinda over Raj's shoulder.

"Ya mon, I be doin' fine," He replied, the slight strain in his voice betraying him.

"You don't sound so 'fine' to me. Let's stop and rest for the night." She knew she wasn't easy to carry. Raj had been carrying her on his back for the past couple of hours, and with the added weight of her armor and her backpack, she was amazed that he could easily carry so much weight for _this_ long.

"Whateva ya say, mon. Next clearin' I find, we be stoppin'."

She silently nodded her head in approval, and then glanced towards Kali, who was following closely behind them. The panther was occasionally giving Raj a low growl, as if warning him not to try anything stupid. She wasn't ready to attack him, though, seeming to realize that his intentions were good, for now. Zelinda leaned her head against his back and closed her eyes in thought.

What _were_ his intentions? When she had asked him earlier where he was taking her, he just answered "Ta get yo' leg fixed up, mon." The only thing she knew, judging by the full moon and what little she could see of the night sky through the trees, was that they were heading west. She wasn't so sure about putting this much trust in him, but her only alternative was being left out in the middle of the forest with a sprained ankle to fend for herself. Besides, if he was going to kill her, he would have done it already… unless he had other plans for her. Trolls were known to be rather… promiscuous, to put it nicely. "Horny bastards" was more like it. She quickly dismissed that train of thought, realizing that despite being a flirt, if he wanted to take advantage of her, he would have done that by now as well, instead of going through all this trouble. She decided to trust him for now, but still kept her guard up, just in case.

She was startled out of her thoughts by Raj's voice. "Dis place good enough?" Without waiting for an answer, he kneeled down and lowered her knees until her feet reached the ground, at which point she released her arms from around his neck. She wobbled a bit, barely able to stand for more than a couple seconds, and had to lean up against the tree trunk next to her for support. Raj straightened his back and stretched, obviously a little worn out from the excursion, and Zelinda blinked in surprise. She didn't notice before now how tall he was. Normally he was slightly hunched over, and her face was almost level with his, but when he stood at his full height she barely came up to his shoulder. She rarely met men that were taller than her, even from her own race.

She realized that she was staring and quickly turned her attention to the surrounding area, her bright eyes easily seeing through the darkness. It was a very small clearing completely surrounded by thick foliage, which effectively hid them from plain sight. Satisfied with his choice, she slowly sat down, gritting her teeth when the pain in her ankle made itself known again. Kali curled up next to her and, giving the troll one last growl as a warning, lowered her head to sleep. Raj sat a couple meters away and started to dig through his pack.

"Ya hungry, Zel?" Despite her empty stomach, she shot him an angry look.

"It's Zelinda, not 'Zel'," she said defiantly, for the fifth time that night.

"Whateva ya say, Zel."

Her glare intensified as her nose crinkled in frustration. He gave her a big grin in return. He liked the way her cute little nose twitched when she got angry, and his new nickname for her seemed to do the trick every time. He tossed her an apple and some jerky, surprising her out of any comeback she had prepared as she barely caught them. Realizing how hungry she was, she devoured the apple in less than a minute. She pocketed the jerky, saving it for her pet when she woke up. She then started to notice how cold the night air was, and hugged herself for warmth while she cuddled up closer to the panther lying next to her.

Raj noticed her discomfort. "I'd make a fire, but doin' dat be too risky, mon. Drawin' attention be da las' ting we need."

"That's fine with me," she responded. She knew how bad the situation would get if someone happened to find them, whether they were Alliance _or_ Horde. She knew she certainly wouldn't have an explanation if a fellow Alliance member found them together like this. She looked thoughtfully at Raj. _He's risking an awful lot just by being here with me…_ She blushed slightly when she remembered how flirty he was with her earlier. She wasn't used to having guys flirt with her at all. Not only was her height intimidating to most men, she was also very tomboyish and unfeminine compared to other female night elves. When she was young, other night elf girls would practice dancing and manners and such, while she was out practicing her bow and arrow and rough-housing with other boys. While this helped her become a very strong and capable hunter, it certainly didn't help her love life. Not that it bothered her very much.

Her thoughts returned to the troll sitting across from her. He brushed his dark red bangs away from his eyes, only to have them fall back into place. She stifled a giggle as she watched him try a couple more times, and then just give up. She might as well strike up a conversation with him. Besides, she was still curious about something…

"Why are you helping me out?"

"Hmm?" Raj looked up, still finishing his share of jerky.

"Why did you save me from that elemental?" There was a long pause before he answered.

"Dunno, mon. Jus' don' seem right ta let ya die like dat."

"Okay, then why are you still helping me _after_ you saved me?"

He grinned at her. " 'Cuz I like ya, Zel. Ya be differen' from otha night elves."

"Oh, really?" she said, giving him a shy smile. "What makes me so different?"

"Well… ya sho' are easy ta rile up. And ya be a real klutz, mon."

_Why you smartass… _She glared at him through narrowed eyes, which only caused him to grin wider. "Well sorry I can't be pretty and graceful and demure like all the other night elves!" she snapped at him.

"Ey now, did I say ya wasn' pretty?" he said defensively. "I tink ya be lookin' damn fine, 'specially from wat I seen earlier."

Zelinda blushed at hearing this, and for a few seconds she was at a loss for words… until what he said fully registered in her mind. Her eyes widened.

"Just how long were you watching me?"

His only response was an evil grin. No further response was necessary.

"YOU FUCKING PERVERT!" she howled as she threw her pack at him, smacking him in the face.

"Watchu yellin' fo', mon! Ya wanna wake up every-" SMACK! "Ow!" She was now throwing anything she could reach, pelting him with rocks, her apple core, even taking off one of her boots to throw at his head. He tried to block most of it, but didn't succeed much.

"If I could walk right now, I'd go over there and kick your ass!"

"Jus' shut da hell up, befo' da whole forest hears ya!"

"Gimme my boot back!"

"Why, so ya can thro' it again?"

They glared at each other for a few moments, and then she huffed and crossed her arms.

"Pervert." she muttered under her breath.

"Klutz." he muttered back.

They sat in silence, each refusing to look at the other. _Why did I bother talking to him in the first place?_ Then she remembered. A few minutes passed, before Zelinda decided to speak again.

"Thanks for helping me, anyway." She still refused to look at him, clearly not forgiving him, but wanted to show her gratitude at least. Raj looked up at her and smiled. "No problem, mon" he said, tossing her boot back to her. After hastily putting it back on, she gave him one last death glare before closing her eyes and curling up against Kali, who still looked disgruntled from being woken up.

Raj watched her as she tried to sleep, smiling to himself. He really loved getting a rise out of her. Not only was it extremely entertaining, but she also looked sexy when she was angry. He started to notice how the moonlight outlined her body, highlighting her curves and making her hair shine. His mind started drifting to earlier that evening, remembering the way she looked in the sunlight at dusk… when he suddenly shook his head, trying to stop his current thought process. _Stop tinkin' 'bout her like dat. Ya be getting' in way above ya head, mon._ When he looked back at her, he knew he had to get away from her eventually, before he did something he would REALLY regret. _Jus' drop her off tomorrow and be on yo' way…_

She was shivering now, rubbing her upper arms and trying to get even closer to the ebony mound of fur curled up next to her. He started to notice the cold night air himself, and had an idea. Probably not the best of ideas, but it was better than shivering all night. Against his better judgment, he stood up, walked over to where Zelinda was sitting, and plopped down next to her.

Her eyes shot open and she instantly leaned away from him, not sure what he was up to now. Kali even gave a drawn-out growl, not sure she liked his close proximity.

"What are you doing?" she asked wide-eyed.

"Ya be shakin' a lot. Jus' tryin' ta keep ya warm."

"I'm not cold."

"Sho' ya are. I be cold too, mon." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him. She was about to protest and call him a pervert again, until she felt how warm he was. _This isn't so bad, I guess…_ When Kali didn't stop growling, Zelinda reached over and gently stroked her ear, her silent way of telling her to relax for now. Kali stopped, but still looked tense as she lowered her head again.

"Dis okay Zel?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Yeah… this is fine," she said hesitantly. He exhaled, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and leaned his head back against the tree. She leaned against him slightly and closed her eyes, the soft sound of nearby crickets lulling them both to sleep.

* * *

Zelinda woke up early, roused by the sounds of trees rustling above her and birds singing among their branches. A drop of dew fell onto her cheek, causing her eye to twitch. Reluctantly her eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the dim morning light. The first thing she saw was blue. She blinked lazily a couple times, not sure about what she was seeing. When she realized it was Raj, her eyes flew open. She panicked for a second, but then her memory returned to her. _Oh yeah. We were trying to keep warm. _She calmed down and slowly let out a relieved sigh.

She then tilted her head to look up at Raj. He was still asleep and had his arm around her, holding her against his body. His head was leaning slightly against hers, which was leaning on his shoulder. She felt her face get very hot as she blushed. She'd never been this close to a guy before. She sat there motionless, unable to move without waking him up. She wasn't really sure she wanted to move. _He smells good…_ she noticed as she stared at his blue skin. She almost couldn't believe how blue it was. She slowly lifted her hand up and softly touched the skin in front of her eyes, almost expecting it to not be there.

"Mornin' sunshine."

She jumped back and stared at him in shock. Raj grinned back at her.

"Ya sleep well?"

"Y-yes…" she stuttered, blushing even deeper now than she was before. She seemed to do that a lot around him.

"Good, 'cause we be goin' now."

"Huh?"

"Don' want it ta get too light befo' we head out."

"Oh…" she said as he stood up and started gathering their belongings. She shivered a little as his warmth left her, replaced by the cold morning air.

"Ya ready, mon?"

"Yeah… sure."

* * *

An hour later, the sun was barely peeking over the horizon. The forest itself was waking up, the sound of birds singing becoming a soft chorus above them, while the thick vegetation around them was glossy with morning dew. "I'm hungry…" Zelinda moaned into Raj's back.

"Sorry Zel, can' help ya."

"It's Zelinda, damn it!" she hissed over his shoulder. "Aw, screw this. I'm too hungry to argue with you."

"Well, ya won' be hungry fo' long."

"How much farther is it?"

"We be dere already."

"What?" she looked over his shoulder as he lowered her to the ground. There were on the edge of a small cliff, and below them was a small town surrounded by a big lake. It had bridges connecting it to the shore, and the architecture of the buildings looked elven. She recognized it immediately.

"This is Astranaar…" she said, leaning against a tree for support.

"Yep. Ya tink ya can make it from 'ere?" he said, shifting his bag onto his back.

"Yeah…sure," she said, her gaze never leaving the town below her. _Never thought I'd be coming back here…_

"Well den, I be goin' now." This did catch her attention, and she quickly turned around. She saw him turn his back to her and walk away into the forest, back the way they came.

"Raj..."

He stopped and turned towards her. "Ya mon?"

She wanted to thank him, for risking his life to take her so close to an Alliance city, and for everything else he had done for her. She wanted to thank him profusely… but all that came out was…

"I… I'll see you around, right?"

"Pro'lly not, mon. Dat be fo' da best. Next we meet might be on da battlefield, ya kno'." He turned back around to leave, and waved back at her over his shoulder.

"Bye Zel."

She stood there for a few minutes, long after he had left her sight. "Goodbye…" she said quietly, to no one in particular. Kali nudged her gently with her nose, rousing her from her thoughts. She smiled down at her pet, and turned around to face the city below her. _This probably _is_ for the best…_ she thought as she made her slow and clumsy descent towards Astranaar.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

Author's notes: Wow… eleven pages… I hope you guys are satisfied with this chapter, 'cause I put a LOT of effort into it! Whew! Sorry for the long wait, but I guess it was worth it, right? Thanks for the reviews again! It's still hard to believe people like my stuff. To answer some of your questions, I have fixed some of the grammatical errors (thanks for pointing them out!) and I will have some cameos from some of the other races. Which ones, well… that's a secret! Anyway, I've decided that writing long chapters every once in a while is better than short chapters every week, so again don't expect an update right away. As for disclaimers: I don't own WoW, I just play it. ) Enjoy!

* * *

_So this is Stranglethorn Vale…_ thought Zelinda as she leaned against the ship's railing. She could see the thick jungle trees and sandy beaches as they sailed along the shore, and her excitement grew at the thought of being on dry land again. This was the first time she's ever been to the Eastern Kingdoms, and she wondered how much different it would be compared to the continent of Kalimdor. She couldn't wait to explore this region, but unfortunately she had some business to take care of first. That was why she was here to begin with.

Due to ever-growing tensions between the Alliance and the Horde, it has been getting more difficult to safely ship goods between the two continents, mostly because it's hard to find people willing to deliver these goods across dangerous borders anymore. That's where _she_ came in. A package of leatherworking supplies had to be delivered to a shop in Booty Bay, which meant the carrier had to take a ship in Ratchet. Unfortunately, Ratchet is located in the Barrens, which is Horde territory. Needless to say, people weren't exactly fighting each other over this job, regardless of how well it paid. Zelinda, however, being the brave, impetuous, adventure-seeker she is, gladly accepted the job. _She_ was not one to shy away from a little danger.

Especially since, at the moment, she only had five silver to her name.

However, even stronger than her need to fix her current financial status, was her desire to explore new places, despite the danger involved. She didn't like settling down anywhere for too long anyway. She felt the wind blow through her dark emerald hair, and closed her eyes to breathe in the salty sea air. _Who knows, you might meet him again…_

She shook her head slightly as she was startled by her own thoughts. Why did she keep thinking about him? Even after three months, she could still remember the last time she saw him as vividly as if it happened yesterday. He was certainly different from anything she ever expected, and that sparked her curiosity. Yeah, that's it, she was probably just curious about him. There's no harm in wanting to see him again if she was just curious, right? _Not much chance of that happening though, so why am I even worrying about it?_

She snapped out of her reverie when Booty Bay finally came into view. _It's about time!_ she thought excitedly. When the ship finally docked, she practically ran onto the crowded docks with Kali in tow, the big cat seeming just as eager to get off the ship as Zelinda herself. After the initial feelings of exhilaration passed, she paused to take in her new surroundings. This port town was mostly populated by goblins, but she also saw a plethora of humans, orcs, taurens, trolls, just about every race in Azeroth was here. She'd never seen so many Horde and Alliance members in the same place at once. She'd heard that Booty Bay was neutral territory, but she was still surprised to see so many people from opposing factions who _weren't_ trying to kill each other. Kali, however, almost instantly went into defense mode, and was growling uncontrollably at a couple of taurens nearby. She figured it probably wasn't a good idea to walk around with a jumpy panther. Her first stop, she decided, would be at the stable master, so Kali could rest and get used to this area, as well as not attack anything while she's here.

After getting her pet settled, Zelinda proceeded to the leatherworking shop, which took some effort to locate. She quickly learned that things weren't exactly easy to find in Booty Bay, and had to ask a couple people before she finally found a sign that read "Tan-Your-Hide Leatherworks." She went in with the big package of supplies, and ten minutes later came out with a gold piece and fifty silver. _Gods, goblins are cheap bastards,_ she thought as she pocketed the coins. Oh well, at least she could pay for food and a room for about a week if she needed to. Since she was planning on sticking around for a while, she decided to spend some time exploring and getting accustomed to this port town.

* * *

An hour later, the sun was starting to make its descent towards the horizon, and Zelinda figured it was a good time to start looking for the inn. By now she was walking along the lower-level docks, and the alleyways were starting to look pretty… shady. Thinking it wise not to stick around a place like this, she turned around to go back the way she came. _I'm pretty sure I won't find a decent inn around-_OOF!

"S-sorry! Pardon me," she said quickly, looking down at the human she ran into. He looked rather disheveled and scruffy, and had a long ponytail and facial hair. He also reeked horribly of alcohol.

"You ssshould watch where you're going, misshy," he slurred indignantly.

_Great. He's drunk. _And apparently from the looks of it, the three humans with him were just as hammered as he was.

"Heeeey, who'sh you're new friend Darrick?" one of them managed to say while eyeing her down. "She a night elf?"

"Yeah, don't shee too many of them around… hic!"

The drunk now known as Darrick faced her again. "Sho… How're you gonna compenshate me for rudely bumping into me like that?" An evil grin started forming across his face.

Zelinda narrowed her eyes. She wondered if he even knew the meaning of the word 'compensate' at the moment. "I wasn't planning on it. You look just fine to me," she said with a little venom in her voice.

His grin got wider. "You know… I've never sheen a night elf dance…" he slurred while giving her a heated look. She rolled her eyes. _Like I haven't heard THAT a million times before._

"Yeah! They're s'posed to have the best dancshing in Azeroth!" cheered one of his lackeys. Zelinda gave a heavy sigh. Like hell she'll dance for them. Besides, she never learned how to dance. She couldn't dance to save her life, and hopefully this wasn't one of those situations. She raised an eyebrow at their lecherous glances.

"I hate to disappoint you," she said, her voice cool and laced with sarcasm as she turned to walk away.

"Aw come on, we'll buy you a couple of drinksh for your trouble, just spend shome time with us," Darrick said, giving her butt a firm squeeze. Before she knew what she was doing, she turned around and punched him as hard as he could, sending him into a pile of crates and knocking him out instantly. For a few seconds everyone was frozen, staring wide-eyed at where Darrick lay unconscious.

_SHIT. Shouldn't have done that._

Suddenly, everyone's daggers were drawn, including Zelinda's. "Crazy bitch, we were just trying to be friendly," said one of the men, seeming to be a lot more sober now than he was a minute ago. _This isn't good,_ she thought as they closed in around her. She knew she couldn't take on all three at the same time. She backed up until she was at the edge of the dock, her back facing the water. At least they couldn't attack her from behind like this. If it came down to it, she could just jump off the dock, but her chances didn't seem much better in the water. She could already tell these guys weren't the merciful type. _How ironic. I make it this far, going through Horde territory without a scratch, only to be killed by my own faction. Fan-fucking-tastic._ If she was going to have any chance, she'd have to strike first. Her grip tightened on the hilt of her dagger.

"It be pretty sad when da Alliance start turnin' on eachudda, ya kno'."

Zelinda froze. She recognized that island accent. Everyone turned to face the cause of the interruption. It was a troll, tall and lanky, with light blue skin, red hair, and a big grin. Zelinda's eyes widened in shock.

_Raj…_

"Thish ain't your business, troll," spat one of the humans. He barely finished his sentence, however, when the troll charged and, with lightning speed, knocked out the other two humans with ease. Zelinda blinked in astonishment. _He's so fast. I almost didn't see it._ The only human left standing was frozen in shock, when Raj turned towards him, his grin turning evil.

"Watchu say, mon?"

"I…I…" he stuttered, looking completely sober. When he recovered and was able to will his legs to move, he turned and ran as fast as he could. Raj laughed at him as he disappeared.

"Ya left yo' friends behin'!" Raj yelled at him as he ran. Still laughing, he proceeded to relieve the other three of their money while they were still unconscious.

Zelinda just stood there, unable to move or say anything. _It's really him…_ she thought, her stomach feeling like it was full of butterflies. He looked exactly as she remembered; even his clothing was similar to what he wore three months ago. She opened her mouth to say something, when he suddenly stood and faced her. Her voice caught in her throat, and a faint blush spread over her cheeks as her eyes met his. _Come on! Say something!_ Before she could, however, Raj decided to break the silence.

"Are ya able ta fend fo' yaself at all, or do I hafta save yo' ass every time?" he said, giving her a mocking smile.

She scowled at him as her eyebrow twitched. _I forgot how much of an asshole he is._

"It seems you haven't changed. You're still a smartass," she retorted.

"Nice ta see ya too." He grinned and tossed her a bag of coins. "Dere ya go, mon. Ya earned dat fo' kickin' dis guy's ass," he said, motioning to Darrick. She stared at it for a second, then quickly pocketed it, having no qualms against taking some stupid drunk's money. He then turned to walk away, motioning for her to follow. "How 'bout I take ya to da inn? It be too dangerous out 'ere fo' ya," he said teasingly over his shoulder.

She crossed her arms indignantly. "I can get to the inn on my own, thank you very much!" She turned swiftly on her heels to walk away from him, not noticing the bundle of rope on the dock near her feet. Raj heard a surprised yelp and a splash, and quickly turned around. He couldn't help but laugh when he saw Zelinda thrashing around in the water, the leather armor making it difficult for her to stay afloat.

"Looks like ya haven' changed either! Ya still be a klutz!"

The next thing out of the night elf's mouth was the most beautiful and elaborately crafted string of profanity Raj had ever heard in his life. He whistled in awe. "Ya kiss ya mother wid dat mouth?"

"SHUT UP AND HELP ME, YOU BASTARD!"

* * *

The tailor looked up from his work and cocked an eyebrow. "Hmm. You don't see this everyday." Before him was a very wet and upset-looking night elf, and standing directly behind her was a troll, grinning like a cat.

"Can I help you?"

"You wouldn't happen to have anything in my size, would you?" Zelinda asked, trying to ignore the stares of her companion.

"It will take two days, plus payment up front," the goblin said, turning his attention back to his work.

"Um… Do you have anything already in stock? I kind of need it right away."

He looked back up at her, her face dripping into the pool of water already forming on the floor. "Can't imagine why," he said sarcastically. "Let me check the storeroom." He climbed out of his seat and disappeared into a room in the back of the shop.

Zelinda stood there and shifted uncomfortably, feeling the stares of everyone in the shop. Raj, however, was enjoying every second of it, letting his mind wander as he observed how her wet clothes clung to her skin. After several minutes, the goblin emerged from the room with a package under his arm.

"This is all we have that might fit you. Twenty silver."

"Sold," she answered, handing him the money and swiftly taking the package from him. Then she paused.

"Is there a room I can use?"

The tailor pointed to a room behind the counter. "The bathroom's that way. Don't take too long, other people need it too."

Zelinda passed through the doorway, leaving Raj by himself. "Ah well, guess I be lookin' 'round fo' a while." He hadn't been looking at their wares for a few minutes, however, when he heard a shriek from the bathroom.

"YOU HAVE _GOT_ TO BE KIDDING ME!"

Raj blinked a couple times, and then a large grin slowly spread across his face. He couldn't wait to see what she bought.

In the bathroom, Zelinda held the fabric up to the light, her nose twitching in annoyance. "Gods, I wish I brought spare clothes…" she said out loud. She wasn't upset at its quality. On the contrary, she was quite impressed with the quality of the garment. For twenty silver, it was practically a steal. She wasn't surprised, though, seeing as how very few were tall enough to wear it. No, the problem wasn't the quality of the garment… it was the garment itself. She never in her life wore one of these. In fact she wasn't planning on wearing one EVER in her lifetime. She was almost tempted to go back to the tailor and ask for her money back, but she finally decided that looking ridiculous was far better than getting sick. With one last disgusted look, she tossed the material over her head.

Raj was fiddling with his dagger when he heard Zelinda exit the bathroom, and quickly turned to look at her. "Wow…" he said out loud when he saw what she was wearing. It was a black dress, covered with intricate green and gold patterns, hanging down to her mid-calves, and complete with white bell-shaped sleeves. It was beautiful, and it certainly didn't match the disgruntled look on her face.

"Aw, ya be lookin' cute as a button," Raj said, earning an icy glare from the night elf.

"Who asked you?" she snapped at him before stomping out of the shop with her wet belongings. He followed closely behind.

"Aw, why ya so tense, Zel?"

"It's Zelinda!" she hissed, not bothering to turn around as she kept her steady march. He just smirked and followed behind her. He liked the view better from back there anyway. Despite what she thought, she looked amazing in that dress. He was practically mesmerized by the way her hips swayed as she walked and how her long hair flowed in the soft breeze, even though it was still a little damp. _Don' remember her bein' so damn sexy…_ he thought to himself. He tried to forget about her since they parted, but he ended up thinking about her almost everyday for the past three months. He even stopped flirting with women, which used to be one of his favorite pastimes. They didn't hold his interest anymore, since none of them could even compete with how beautiful Zelinda was. Even so, his memory of her paled in comparison to what he was now seeing before him.

_Jus' stop wat yo' tinkin' right now!_ his mind practically shouted at him. He quickly diverted his gaze, trying to focus on anything but her. _Ya s'posed ta forget 'bout 'er, right?_ He sighed inwardly. He knew better than to get involved with the enemy. It would just end up being nothing but trouble, and trouble was something he could definitely do without. The rational choice would be to just leave her before something happened, but he wasn't thinking very rationally at the moment. Plus, she sure was amusing when she was riled up, and he hasn't had this much entertainment in a while.

"Ey Zel, should we be goin' to da inn now? It be getting dark soon, ya kno'."

She stopped suddenly and turned to face him. "_We_ are not going anywhere! _I_ am going to the inn on my own, understand?" She then walked briskly away from him… only to stop suddenly. She stood there motionless for several seconds. Raj smiled.

"Ya don' kno' where da inn be, do ya?"

She turned her head, giving him an angry yet sheepish look. "No, I don't."

He chuckled. "Follow me, den."

* * *

When they finally arrived at the inn, the sky was starting to turn pale shades of pink and orange. Both Raj and Zelinda paid and went to their separate rooms to drop off their belongings before heading back downstairs into the tavern area. It was very crowded and boisterous, filled with both Alliance and Horde, some of whom were even drinking and laughing with each other. Funny how alcohol can surpass the language barrier and ease tensions so easily. Raj scanned the place, trying to spot some dark green hair in the crowded room. He found her at the corner of the bar, sipping a mug of ale. Weaving through the crowd, he made his way to the empty stool next to her.

"Ey dere, sexy."

Zelinda narrowed her eyes at the sound of his voice. "So, you haven't gotten tired of teasing me yet?"

He grinned and leaned in close to whisper in her ear. "I sho' ain' teasin' ya mon."

Her face turned purple, and she quickly turned her head to hide her blush. Why did he always have to do things like that?

"Is it such a good idea to be so friendly with a member of the Alliance?" she said before taking another sip of her drink.

"Don' tink anyone 'ere cares," he said, glancing at a table where some orcs and dwarves were playing a loud drinking game. "Besides, I jus' be keepin' ya company, makin' sho' no one be harassin' ya, dat's all."

Now _that_ made her grin. "I think the only person I need to worry about is sitting right next to me," she said smugly.

He chuckled, and gave her a wicked smile. "Den I guess ya won' lemme buy ya a drink?"

She cocked an eyebrow. "You're not trying to get me drunk, are you?"

Raj tried to feign an innocent look, and failed miserably. "Me? Naw mon, wouldn' tink o' doin' dat."

She smirked at him. "Good, 'cause I'd drink you under the counter!"

He laughed out loud. "Wouldya now?" he said incredulously. "Dunno... ya neva seen me drink, 'ave ya?"

"Well, you've never seen _me_ drink either!" she grinned proudly.

Unbeknownst to them, their banter was overheard by a nearby night elf, who recognized Zelinda's voice and was now striding over to where the two were sitting.

"You're Zelinda Stargazer, aren't you?"

She immediately cringed. _Well crap…_ She didn't have to turn around to know who it was. She recognized that haughty voice.

"Hello Treshala." She turned to face her and gave her an icy stare. Raj himself was eyeing the night elf suspiciously. She had short electric blue hair, dark purple skin, and a condescending smirk. _Dis a friend o' 'ers?_

"Imagine seeing you here! It's good to see you!" she said with saccharin sweetness.

"Wish I could say the same…" Zelinda coldly replied. "What do you want anyway?"

Treshala didn't seem affected by her bluntness. "I was just wondering what you were doing here sitting with a troll. Did you forget which side you're on, silly?" She laughed at her own joke. Zelinda's glare intensified.

"Why don't you mind your own business?"

"I'm just looking out for your well-being, that's all," she replied lightly. "You know very well how trolls are. They'll screw anything that breathes. You wouldn't want him to try taking advantage of you, do you?" Zelinda narrowed her eyes, while Raj merely smirked. Treshala continued.

"Anyway, I decided to take pity on you and ask if you wanted to join us at our table. I'm sure we can fit one more." She motioned towards a nearby table where a rowdy group of humans and night elves sat. Zelinda didn't even bother to look.

"No thanks."

Treshala blinked a couple times. "What?"

"I don't need your pity. I'm fine right here."

"You mean you'd rather sit with a _troll_?" she spat, looking disgusted. Raj scowled at her. He was getting tired of her talking about him like he wasn't there.

"I'd sooner sit with Archimonde himself than with you," Zelinda responded archly before taking a final swig of her ale.

Treshala looked ready to explode for a couple seconds, but she quickly regained her composure and forced a cocky smile. "I don't understand you, Zelinda. You're so willing to fraternize with the Horde, even when you have more reason to hate them than-"

SLAM!

Raj nearly jumped when Zelinda's glass mug hit the wooden counter. Apparently, so did Treshala and half the people at the bar. He stared at her in awe. All the mean looks he had ever received from her in the past were nothing compared to the death glare she was now giving Treshala.

The other night elf froze, suddenly at a loss for words. After several long seconds of agonizing silence, Zelinda stood and left the inn without a word. Treshala watched her leave, then let out the breath she was holding.

"What's her problem?" she wondered out loud, then glanced at Raj, who was giving her a dangerous stare. "What are you looking at, _troll_?" She spat the last word as if it were the most distasteful thing she had ever said, and turned her nose up at him and left. Raj sighed, glad the offending elf was gone. He just noticed something he never had before. Of all the names Zelinda had called him, she never once called him a troll, as if that in itself was an insult. He had a sudden urge to go see her, and after tipping the bartender he headed towards the exit to find her.

* * *

Zelinda sat on the roof of the inn, her chin resting on her knees, watching the sun disappear into the sea on the horizon. The sky was painted bright shades of red, pink and orange, making the sea look like it was on fire. She let out a weary sigh. _Damn it, why did I have to run into _her_ again?_ Her brow furrowed as Treshala's words echoed in her head, and she absent-mindedly fingered the pendant she wore through the fabric of her dress. She leaned back slightly and pulled it out to examine it. It was on a long black cord, keeping it well-hidden underneath her clothes most of the time. Tied to the cord was a small piece of amber, no bigger than a silver coin, carved in the shape of a crescent moon. She held it up to the light, smiling slightly as she thought of the person who gave it to her.

"Watchu doin' up 'ere, mon?"

The familiar voice startled her out of her thoughts, and she looked behind her, seeing Raj climb onto the roof and head towards her.

"Trying to get away from you," she said teasingly.

"Dat so?" he grinned, sitting down next to her.

She gave him a curious look. "How'd you find me up here?"

"Ya really wanna kno'?" he asked, giving her a sly smile. She nodded.

"I be psychic, mon."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Oh really?" she said, feigning astonishment.

"Ya mon. I use some o' my voodoo tricks, an' jus' like _dat_, I kno' exactly who ta ask ta find where ya be hidin'."

She burst into laughter, startling Raj for a moment. It wasn't shrill and annoying like Treshala's was. Her laugh was loud and clear, almost like the sound of a bell. He decided he really liked her laugh; she seemed to put her whole heart into it.

"Who be dat girl, anyway?"

"You mean Treshala?" she said, still recovering from laughing.

"Ya mon."

"You're psychic, you tell me!"

He frowned a little. "Seriously mon."

"I grew up with her. You could say we're rivals."

"She be a real bitch," he grumbled, causing Zelinda to laugh again.

"You're telling me!" She smiled, then looked back at the sunset. Something gleaming caught Raj's eye.

"Wat's dat?" he said, pointing at the amber pendant. Zelinda looked down, forgetting she left it out. She held it in her palm and smiled. "This is my sister's. She gave it to me before I left."

"She be younger den you?"

"Well, I guess technically she's younger."

He gave her a slightly confused look. "Watchu mean technically?"

"We're twins."

"Ah…" he said, trying to imagine another person in Azeroth just as divinely beautiful as the elf sitting next to him. It almost didn't seem possible to him.

"Her name's Filianna. She's training to become a druid, so she's living in Moonglade. I usually don't stick around one place for long, so she gave me her pendant to remember her by while I'm traveling."

"You an' yo' sista… How old ya be anyway?"

She started tracing the edge of the pendant with her fingers. "We're not exactly sure. We're both actually pretty young..." she said sheepishly.

"So?" he said, grinning.

"We think we're about 217 years old."

His grin faded, and he stared at her in awe. Of all the words that popped into his head, "young" was certainly not one of them.

"I forgot ya elves use ta be immortal."

She laughed lighty. "Well, compared to the rest of our race we're young."

"What 'bout yo' parents?"

She was silent, and her face lost all of its mirth as she stared at the amber piece in her hand. Raj decided not to press any further, and stared at the sunset in silence, wishing he could take back that question. For some reason, he hated seeing her so melancholy. She surprised him when she finally spoke.

"Our father was a fisherman, and our mother was a priestess of Elune." She let the pendant drop and looked up towards the sunset. "They died… a long time ago."

Raj glanced over at her, not sure if he should ask further. "How?" he said tentatively.

"…They were killed in a Horde raid, while we were living in Astranaar." She paused for a moment, before deciding to continue. "Filianna and I hid. We were so young we couldn't do anything else. They came into our house, and they slaughtered our parents right in front of us." She looked down at her knees and started fiddling with the fabric of her dress. "Most of them were orcs…"

Raj gave her a sideways glance. "…But dere were trolls too, ya?"

She lowered her gaze, and was silent.

He leaned back slightly and sighed. "Ya mus' really hate us, mon."

Her eyes narrowed. "I absolutely despise the ones who killed my parents, and I hope they die a slow, painful death."

He gave her a surprised look.

"However, I have no reason to hate someone who had nothing to do with their deaths." Her expression softened, and she turned her gaze towards him.

"I don't hate you at all, Raj."

He froze. The way she said that, along with her soft glowing eyes and her reassuring smile, made his heart stop for a second. She turned her gaze back towards the sunset, watching it with a serene look on her face. He stared at her. _Oh gods, I be fallin' fo' her._ The realization caused his heart to speed up. He wanted her, and it was no longer purely in a physical way. He mentally cursed himself, and shook his head as if those thoughts might just fall out of his mind. _Ya don' 'ave feelin's fo' her… Ya don' 'ave feelin's fo' her… _He repeated this mantra in his head, until Zelinda interrupted him.

"What do you think of this war, Raj?"

"Huh?" he said, startled out of his train of thought.

"This war, between the Alliance and the Horde… what do you think of it?"

He contemplated her question, relieved to have a new topic to think about.

"Dis war jus' be an excuse ta fight, far as I kno'. Afta da Burnin' Legion, both sides don' 'ave anyone ta fight against, so dey turn on eachudda. We be fightin' fo' so long anyway… Pro'lly jus' seem normal by now." He looked over at Zelinda, who was giving him a big smile. He gave her a suspicious look. "Watchu grinnin' at?"

"Nothing. It's just that I never thought I would actually agree with you on anything." Her grin widened.

He blinked at her, then quickly recovered. "Not like what I tink matters, anyway. I be honor-bound to Thrall an' da orcs, so I be followin' dem no matta who dey fight against."

There was silence for a few seconds. "That may be true…" Zelinda said thoughtfully, "but don't you question whether on not they're making the right decisions?"

He gave her a stern look. "Ya don' question honor. Dey saved da Darkspear Tribe, derefo' we trolls be bound by honor ta repay 'em, no matta wat."

"I see…" she mumbled, staring blankly ahead of her. Then she smiled. "I guess that means I'm honor-bound to _you_, huh?"

"EH?" He gaped at her, eyes wide in shock. She laughed at the expression on his face.

"Well, I have to repay you _somehow_ for saving me, and until then, whether you like it or not, you're not getting rid of me!" She laughed heartily again while he stared at her, completely dumbstruck. She gave him a sly smile before looking back towards the sun, which had disappeared beneath the ocean by now. Raj's mind was a complete mess. He had no idea whether she was joking or not. Was she really going to stick around until she repaid him for saving her life? _If dat be tru, I be savin' yo' life ev'ry day o' da week._

That's when it hit him. It hit him so hard he would have fallen to his knees if he wasn't already sitting. It didn't matter how much he denied it, how much he pretended it wasn't there, in the end it didn't change a damn thing.

He was in love with her. And that thought scared him more than anything before in his life.

_I gotta get away from 'er… _he thought as soon as he recovered. He knew what would happen if he was caught with the enemy. He was almost sure the same would happen to her, and he absolutely _did not_ want to risk that. He was always one to err on the side of caution, so for both their sakes he had to prevent anything from happening between them. And to do that, he had to get away before _he_ did something that would put them both in danger.

"It's getting cold. We should head back inside," Zelinda said, moving to get up.

"Ya mon," Raj said as he quickly stood. He was definitely less-inclined to do something in public, so the sooner they got in the inn, the better.

Zelinda, however, wasn't quite used to wearing dresses yet, and when she stood she stepped on the hem of her skirt, gasping as she started to fall forward. Raj, acting before he could think, reached out and caught her before she dropped. When he felt her warm body in his arms, he resisted the urge to curse.

_Damn it Raj!_ he mentally berated himself. _So much fo' being cautious, ya fool!_

"S-sorry…" she stammered, looking up from his chest. He just stared at her, afraid to move or say anything. She blushed and looked away, unable to meet his gaze.

"I really am a klutz…" she muttered, blushing deeper and looking very embarrassed with herself. She looked so vulnerable. Raj felt his resolve slowly slip away, and he instinctively held her closer to comfort her. She looked up, giving him a quizzical look.

"What are you…" she whispered, unable to finish her sentence. Raj just stared at her, her lavender face mere inches from his, and he decided, for once in his life, to throw caution to the wind.

Zelinda's eyes went wide as he brought his mouth down on hers in a passionate kiss. Her knees weakened, and she had to lean in to him to keep from falling again. Her mind was getting fuzzy, and the only coherent thought escaping the haze was the acknowledgement that Raj was kissing her… and she liked it. Her eyes gradually closed, and she slowly responded to his lips. He moaned softly in response, wrapping his arms around her waist and deepening the kiss, making sure his tusks didn't get in the way or hurt her. After a few minutes they broke apart, needing to come up for air. Raj grinned and held her tightly in his arms, while Zelinda's eye's slowly opened. She smiled softly… until the realization of what she just did hit her. Her eyes widened in horror. _Oh gods, what am I doing?_

"I… I can't…" she stuttered, pushing herself away from him. Raj looked confused as she squirmed free of his arms and back away from him, a scared expression on her face.

"Wat be da problem?"

"We can't do this…" she said, her voice shaky. "This is wrong, we shouldn't have done this!" She hugged herself tightly. _Oh Elune, please forgive me…_

"Look, let's talk 'bout dis," Raj said, trying to calm her a little.

"NO! Let's just forget this happened, okay?" she almost yelled. She started to quickly walk away from him, praying that no one happened to see them.

"Zelinda."

She froze. This was the first time he called her by her full name. Tears were starting to form in her eyes. Why did he have to choose now of all times to call her that? She reluctantly turned around to face him. His arms were crossed, and his face had a slightly hurt expression on it.

"Look, it be fine if ya don' feel da same way…" he started to say. She winced, the tears in her eyes threatening to fall.

"But I DO feel the same way! That's the problem!" she yelled, letting the tears spill over her cheeks. He froze. He wasn't quite expecting that answer.

"What's the point in feeling this way, if you can't do anything about it?" She clenched her eyes shut, trying to stop the flow of tears, but they kept coming. "Alliance and Horde just don't mix, Raj! Do you have any idea how much trouble we could get in?"

Raj watched her sob, and couldn't resist the urge to walk over to her and wipe some of the tears off her face. She looked up at him and sniffled.

"Ya kno'… we only be in trouble if we get caught, mon."

Her eyes widened, and then they sparked with anger as she glared at him. "This isn't a fucking game, Raj! What we just did is considered treason! I don't know what the Horde does to traitors, but if _I_ get caught, being exiled for life is the _best_ I could hope for! They probably wouldn't hesitate to kill me!" She wiped away the remainder of her tears on her sleeves, then glared back up at him. "What does the Horde do to traitors?"

Raj smiled at her. "Dey kill 'em."

Zelinda narrowed her eyes. "Are you really willing to risk death to be with me?"

He pondered over her question for a moment… then flashed another grin. "Yep."

Her eyes grew impossibly wide, and she was completely speechless from shock.

"Ya ain' jus' anotha night elf, Zel…" he said, drawing her into his arms. She was still too dumbstruck to resist.

"You… you want to be with me that much?"

"Ya mon…" he said, this time looking dead serious as he answered her. She stood in his arms and thought about their situation for a few moments._ I can't believe I'm actually considering this! _When her eyes met his again, however, she finally decided that if he was willing to look past the fact that she was one of the Alliance, then she was willing to do the same for him, despite the risks involved. She smiled shyly at him.

"So this isn't just a one-night stand, is it?"

He grinned. "Wouldn' be riskin' my life fo' a one-night stand." She blushed as he drew her closer to him, tilting her chin up so she could meet his gaze. "We can make dis work. Jus' gotta make sho' no one finds out." He leaned in and claimed her lips again, causing her to sigh and wrap her arms around his neck. She had one last coherent thought before she let her mind fade into a fuzzy blur of emotions.

_Maybe… we_ could _make this work._

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

Author's notes: I'm back! And I come bearing more Warcraft-y goodness! Yum! Thanks for the reviews, as always. sniff! I love you guys so much! I thank you profusely for taking the time to read my scribblings. In response to some of them, I fully admit that this fic is just like every other typical "Romeo and Juliet" story (hangs head in shame). I wish I had more creativity when it came to writing. I have no illusions about my writings being original in any way, but what I lack in originality I try to make up through verbal eloquence. Pfffft! Yeah right! Anyway, another reminder of my lack of originality came when I opened my email last week. It has been brought to my attention that there is another fanfic out there that is strikingly similar to mine, although the name of it couldn't be remembered. This sparked my curiosity and I began looking for it. (Which is, I hate to admit, one of the reasons this chapter came out so late. I spent too much time reading fanfics instead of writing one. Heheheh.) Thankfully, it didn't take nearly as much effort to find as I thought it would. After a few days of browsing, I believe I have found this illustrious doppelganger of a fanfic. It is called "Love Has Its Reasons" by Catriana. After reading it, I found some parts to be creepily similar to parts of my fanfic, except hers is MUCH more well-written. sheepish grin I guess great minds do think alike, huh? _This_ mind is just a little slower than others, seeing as how hers was published almost two months before mine. Anyway, I felt like sharing this with you, so go read her fanfic! Do it now! It's damn good, believe me! Ahem… where was I? Oh yeah! Here's chapter 4! Enjoy!

* * *

Zelinda blinked wearily as the morning sunlight leaked into the room, falling across her face and making her eyes hurt. She groaned and rolled over in protest, irritated at being woken up so early. Being a night elf, she wasn't particularly fond of the sun, and it was brighter here in Booty Bay than she was used to, especially this morning. She pulled the blankets over her head in an attempt to doze off again, but she was soon roused by a slight nudge on her lower back.

"Kali… not now…" she mumbled beneath the sheets. Kali persisted, pawing at her from where she sat on the floor, until Zelinda finally emerged from the covers.

"Fine, I'm getting up. I'm guessing you want some food?" The panther seemed to grow excited at the word 'food,' making her laugh as she sat up in bed. She instantly regretted sitting up, however, when she felt a splitting pain in her head. She grimaced, and her hand flew up to her forehead. _Damn… why does my head hurt so much?_ With some effort, memories of the previous night slowly resurfaced in her mind. She remembered drinking with Raj downstairs in the tavern, and somehow they had started to compete with each other, seeing who could out-drink the other. She remembered them both getting completely trashed and causing quite a ruckus, surrounded by people cheering them on and taking bets. _At least I won…_ she thought with a smirk as she slowly climbed out of bed …_Even though I sure don't feel like a winner at the moment._ She groaned as she made her way over to her clothes and proceeded to get dressed for the day. While dressing, her thoughts drifted to Raj. He was probably just as hung-over as she was, and she briefly considered visiting his room to check up on him. _Maybe after I drink a gallon of water first._ She slipped on her boots and made her way to the door, cringing as every sound seemed to be magnified in her ears. Today was going to royally suck.

"C'mon Kali. Let's go down for breakfast."

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the inn, a group of Stormwind's Royal Guards were standing, waiting impatiently for something. Or someone.

"Why do we have to wait for them outside? Can't we at least go to the inn and get a drink?" one of them mumbled.

"If we meet out in the open, we're both less likely to cause problems," the leader of the group said, carefully observing people as they passed by. "…Or kill each other if things go south."

The other four guards looked pensive, hoping this encounter wouldn't result in the latter. Peace negotiations with the Horde were known to fail horribly, but leaders on both sides deemed this meeting necessary. They were gladly willing to serve their lord and come here to represent the King of Stormwind, but nevertheless, they weren't exactly looking forward to this encounter.

They didn't have to wait long. After several more minutes the Royal guards were approached by five orcs and a goblin. For a couple seconds they just stood there and stared at each other, almost as if they were sizing each other up, when the goblin spoke first.

"Are you here for the peace negotiations?"

The leader of the guards straightened. "Yes, I am Major Kristoff Goodwell, representing his Highness the King of Stormwind."

The goblin muttered some orcish back to one of the orcs, who looked straight at Kristoff and replied back in a strong, gruff voice. The goblin translated.

"He says he is Arok Nezghul, one of the generals serving under Warchief Thrall." Kristoff looked at Arok and nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"And I'm Rizzik. I'll be your translator today," he said, being curt and to-the-point. "So, shall we get started?"

* * *

Zelinda reached the bottom of the stairs and scanned the tavern. There weren't many people here, maybe about twelve in the whole room, but it was still louder than she would have liked. Wincing, she walked up to the bar and climbed onto a stool.

"You need some water?" the bartender asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Nnnnnngh."

"I'll take that as a yes," he said, reaching for a glass.

"Meat too…" she moaned, motioning to her companion.

He nodded and went into the kitchen area. He came back a few moments later with some jerky and a full pitcher of water. "You sure can toss 'em back. You put on quite a show last night!"

"No talking… sound hurts," she mumbled, holding her head in her hands. He laughed loudly, much to her chagrin.

"Yeah, I bet you're regretting it now! Hahahaha!" As he walked away, Zelinda resisted the urge to throw her glass at him, but her thirst won out and she instead filled it with water. She tossed the jerky to Kali, who sat by her feet, and then brought the glass to her lips, finishing it in one gulp. As she reached to refill her glass, a familiar figure approached the bar and sat two stools away from her.

"Water for you too?" the bartender asked. Again it was an unnecessary question.

"Ya mon…" the troll groaned, casting a quick glance over to the night elf next to him. She nodded slightly, and he returned the gesture. This had become their usual routine for the past several days, ever since that 'talk' on the roof of the inn. During the day they went about their own business and barely acknowledged each other, not wanting to risk giving themselves away, but at night they were a little more sociable, especially in the tavern where people were usually too drunk to care about anything more than either their mugs or the waitresses' skirts. They even went back up on the roof a couple times, but they never did anything more than what they did that first night. They couldn't risk getting caught or drawing too much attention to themselves around so many Horde and Alliance, even if they were in neutral territory. Last night, however, was probably a little too reckless. They didn't just draw attention to themselves… they drew the attention of the _entire inn_ and then some. Zelinda sighed. _Great. That's just frickin' great._

A minute later Raj was brought a glass and a pitcher, and the bartender left to cater to the other people in the room, leaving the two of them alone. Even though he was gone, they both still avoided looking at each other. By now they learned that it was easy to have a conversation without making it look like you're having a conversation.

"Where ya learn ta drink like dat, mon?" he grinned, still looking at his glass. He had a newfound respect for the elf sitting next to him. "Don' tink I eva met a woman who be a better drinka dan me."

Zelinda was silent for a few moments. Then she narrowed her eyes. "We can't keep doing this."

Raj chuckled softly and brushed his bangs away from his eyes. "Don' worry, I ain' eva gonna challenge ya at drinkin' again."

"That's not what I mean…" she said gravely. She turned to look at him, her face stern. His smile faded as he looked back at her.

"We can't keep this a secret much longer. We've already drawn too much attention to ourselves. Someone's bound to find out eventually." She turned her gaze back towards her glass. "We have to leave soon."

Raj furrowed his brow. "So where do we go, mon?"

Zelinda let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know, Raj." She stared blankly into space, her face looking melancholy. "But we can't stay here."

They both fell silent. Raj knew she was right. If they wanted to have anything close to an actual relationship, they needed to go somewhere where they wouldn't have to constantly keep it a secret, and there were way too many people in Booty Bay to do that successfully. Besides, even though he enjoyed her company, he definitely wouldn't mind getting to know her better on a physical level. He grinned slyly at her.

She glanced at him, and raised an eyebrow. "What are you smiling at?"

"You," he said, still grinning. She narrowed her eyes. She knew that look.

"You're thinking something dirty, aren't you?"

His grin widened. "Maybe."

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Idiot," she muttered, a faint blush tinting her cheeks. She was about to say more, but fell silent when a group of dwarves entered the room and sat down at the other end of the bar. They both watched them cautiously for a while, until Raj spoke, barely above a whisper.

"We talk mo' 'bout dis later. If we decide a place ta go, we be leavin' in da mornin'."

She nodded her agreement, and they both returned their attention to their own glasses, pretending as if they've never met each other before.

* * *

"It's _not_ negotiable!" yelled Kristoff to the angry-looking orc in front of him. The so-called 'peace negotiations' had quickly dissolved into a yelling contest between the two groups, and people passing by were starting to stare. "We will release our prisoners-of-war _only_ if you completely withdraw from Alterac Valley!"

Arok yelled back at him, not even bothering to let Rizzik translate. The poor goblin looked desperate, trying to calm both sides, but it was futile at this point. Both groups seemed to be a few words away from breaking out into a fist fight.

"Do you not understand the words 'not negotiable,' you big stupid orc?" Arok, now enraged, grabbed the front of Kristoff's tabard and lifted him up to his green face. Apparently he _did_ know the meaning of the words 'big stupid orc.' He now looked ready to rip the human's head off. One of the Royal Guards instinctively stepped forward, his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to defend his superior officer. Kristoff opened his mouth to tell him to step back before he provoked one of the other orcs, but before he could utter a word a dagger flew past his head, imbedding itself in the guard's chest. Arok and Kristoff stared wide-eyed as the man instantly fell dead to the ground.

_Ohhh shit…_ they both thought simultaneously.

* * *

Zelinda and Raj were finally starting to recover from their hangovers, when a man wearing mage's robes burst into the tavern, gasping for breath. Everyone in the room, Horde and Alliance alike, turned to look at him.

"What's yer problem, lad?" one of the dwarves at the bar asked.

"They're… they're killing… each other…" he managed between breaths.

"Who?" several people asked in unison. The mage's eyes grew wide.

"Everyone."

Instantly, almost everyone in the room crowded around the entrance to witness it themselves. Some members of the Horde were still sitting, looking a little confused, while Raj and Zelinda sat at the bar, too stunned to move. They looked at each other for a moment, then Raj motioned with his head towards the upstairs areas. She nodded, and they both practically jumped off their stools and took off up the stairs, past their rooms, finding the little balcony overlooking the port town. When they ran out onto it, both could only stare in awe at the chaos that was unfolding before them.

A full-blown war had broken out. Everyone in Booty Bay had turned against the opposing faction, and the bloody carnage that ensued was enough to make Zelinda feel sick to her stomach. The few who weren't fighting were either already dead or trying to escape. _What on earth caused this?_ Zelinda quickly looked over at the Alliance's gryphon master. He was completely swarmed by people, all of whom were fighting each other and offering gold to get on the last few gryphons flying out. She looked back at Raj, and knew from the look on his face that the Horde's wind rider master was not faring any better. They looked over towards the entrance to Booty Bay, and decided from the brutal massacre going on over there that it might as well have been completely blocked. They saw a few running from the riot near the entrance towards the ship at the docks, which looked like it was ready to set sail any minute to escape the conflict.

Raj and Zelinda looked at each other for a few long seconds. They didn't have to say a word to know what the other was thinking. Simultaneously they ran back to their rooms, grabbed their belongings, and ran back onto the balcony. They found a stack of crates below them near the edge, and Raj easily jumped off the balcony onto them, motioning for Zelinda to follow.

"Come on Kali!" Zelinda yelled before jumping after him. The ebony cat didn't hesitate; she jumped down after her master, and all three of them ran as fast as they could towards the ship, hopping over mutilated bodies and pools of blood along the way. The stench was so strong it took Zelinda most of her willpower not to throw up. The ship was starting to pull away from the dock, just as they ran onto its deck.

There they finally collapsed, their lungs burning and their legs sore from running so hard. Zelinda looked up, still panting, and gazed at the people around her, most of whom were also recovering from running. There were a lot of people crammed onto this ship. She saw a couple of dwarves, a night elf, a human… and all the rest were Horde. She glanced around nervously. _Of course… this ship goes to Ratchet._ She noticed how jumpy and apprehensive some of them appeared to be, and she suddenly had a very bad feeling about being on this ship.

"Raj…" she said quietly as Kali started to give a low growl. "This suddenly doesn't seem like such a good idea."

Raj followed her gaze and saw what she was referring to. The dwarf couple, especially the female one, was already being harassed by a couple of orcs, and the human was having a heated argument with a troll over something. Well, it was almost an argument. It's rather hard to argue with someone when you can't understand them. Raj glanced back at Zelinda and couldn't help noticing the alarmed look in her eyes, even though she tried to appear calm.

"Wanna get in da cabin, outta plain sight?"

She nodded eagerly, and they both stood and hastily made their way around the crowd and into the nearest doorway.

When Raj's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the cabin, he found it to be even more crowded than the deck was. He rolled his eyes. _So much fo' bein' outta plain sight._ He scanned the room, trying to find a place to sit. All the tables were occupied, as well as all the cots, hammocks, and most of the floor space. He managed to spot an empty corner near the back of the room, when he felt a soft hand on his arm. He quickly looked down at Zelinda. She was leaning in close to him while glaring at a group of trolls nearby, who were starting to give her cat-calls and heated looks. She tried to appear unaffected, but she couldn't fully mask her nervousness, which only seemed to encourage them further. Raj gave the group a cold stare before taking Zelinda's hand. She blinked, startled by him being so forward in public. "Dis way," he whispered to her as he led her quickly towards the back, feeling the stares of everyone in the room. Zelinda followed closely behind, trying to shield her bright glowing eyes from view. They gave away her race, and she hoped that in the darkness of the cabin she might be able to pass as one of the Horde. Of course, her efforts were about as effective as trying to hide a tauren among a group of gnomes using a pair of goggles and a fake mustache.

They made it to their corner without incident, where they dropped their packs and sat down with their backs against the wall. It was dark and fairly well-hidden, earning a relieved sigh from the night elf. Kali curled herself up near their feet and kept guard, refusing to fall asleep. She had become used to Raj's presence and was no longer uncomfortable around him. It was everyone _else_ she was concerned about right now.

The room was getting more crowded by the minute as people from outside kept filtering in, looking for a place to sleep. Zelinda watched as the other night elf she saw earlier claimed her spot a few meters away, apparently trying to avoid being noticed as well. Her long silver hair was tied back loosely, and her bangs obscured her pale purple-tinted face. When their eyes met, Zelinda gave her a tentative smile, which she returned timidly and with a slight nod of her head. She glanced warily at Raj, obviously suspicious about a night elf traveling with a troll, but decided to mind her own business and not inquire about it. _She's probably more concerned about other things right now…_ Zelinda thought as more Horde were starting to fill in the space around them.

Just when she was wondering if any more could possibly fit into the cabin, a large black tauren approached and sat down right next to her, taking up probably one of the last spots in the room. The ox-like creature took up so much space that Zelinda was crushed between him and Raj. Kali almost growled, but Zelinda headed her off and quickly put her hand on the cat's nose, hoping she would calm down. _For Elune's sake Kali, don't make a single sound, please!_ she prayed as she hesitantly looked up at the tauren. He was wearing heavy mail armor and had an axe strapped to his back. He looked mostly humanoid, except he was covered with thick, pitch black fur and had two huge horns protruding from the sides of his bovine head. _He looks like a big cow…_ she noticed as she observed him.

As she continued to stare, the ox looked casually down at Zelinda, and almost did a double take when he realized what he was sitting next to. The blood drained from her face as he fixed his gaze on her. _Do something! Don't keep staring at him like an idiot! _ As soon as she recovered, Zelinda smiled weakly, hoping he would interpret it as a peaceful gesture. She was relieved when he slowly smiled back.

"Elfie get on wrong ship?" he said in a deep voice. It took Zelinda a second to process his broken Common.

"Yeah… sort of," she replied, giving him a shaky smile.

The tauren gave a low chuckle, and then pointed towards his chest. "Thoran."

The elf understood, and pointed to herself. "Zelinda."

He grinned at her once more, before settling back and closing his eyes to sleep. Zelinda turned away as well, and suddenly found Raj staring at her. She blinked. "What?"

"Ya be awfully sociable, ya kno'."

"Well excuse me," she pouted at him, causing him to smirk and wrap his arm around her shoulder. She grew rigid for just a second, before tentatively leaning against him and resting her head on his shoulder. She was normally very relaxed around him, but she wasn't used to being so intimate in public.

"Are you sure it's okay to be so close?" she asked, trying to ignore the strange looks from those around them.

"If dey kno' ya with me, dey won' mess with ya…" he said, staring straight ahead.

Zelinda furrowed her brow. "But they might mess with you…"

Raj was silent. Instead of responding, he pulled her closer to him, causing her breath to catch in her throat. She looked up into his face, his eyes partially hidden behind his bangs, and smiled. _He's going to risk everyone in here turning on him… and he's doing this for me._ She reached her hand up and gently brushed the dark red strands of hair away from his eyes. The gesture startled him, and he looked down at her, feeling the blood rush to his face when he saw her warm smile. He raised an eyebrow. "Watchu grinnin' at?"

"Nothing…" she replied, her smile widening.

"Silly elf," he said as he turned his head away, feeling his face get even warmer. He couldn't describe the way he felt when she smiled at him like that. He _did_ know that it made him wish everyone else in the room would spontaneously disappear, though.

"So…" he said, trying to derail his current train of thought. "We be outta Booty Bay now. Ya happy?"

"Thrilled..." she said sarcastically, making him grin again.

"Where do we go from 'ere?"

Zelinda pondered the question for a minute before answering. "No doubt the war has escalated by now. At least one of us will get killed if we're caught in Alliance or Horde territory, and all the contested territories will become war zones.

Raj leaned his head back against the wall. "So ya sayin' we can' go anywhere, den."

They sat in silence for several minutes, until Zelinda had an epiphany.

"Moonglade… We could go to Moonglade."

Raj wasn't convinced. "Jus' 'cause yo' sista won' outright kill me doesn' mean da otha elves won' when dey find out."

"They won't kill you. They're druids. They have strict rules against any sort of violence in Moonglade."

He raised an eyebrow. "Do dey really?"

She nodded. "It doesn't matter which faction you belong to. Night elves and taurens coexist peacefully there."

Raj considered the idea. "A'least we be headin' towards da right continent." He looked down at Zelinda. "Will dey let us stay dere?"

She furrowed her brow in thought. "Because they're pacifists, they're a little wary of outsiders coming in and possibly causing conflicts… but I'm sure my sister will convince them to let us stay with her until things calm down." She looked up at Raj.

"So… Moonglade?"

He shrugged. "Can' tink o' anyting betta, mon."

Zelinda beamed up at him, then leaned her head against his chest and closed her eyes. "I haven't seen my sister in a while…" she murmured, enjoying his warmth and breathing in his scent as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Zelinda and Raj lost track of the days as they sailed to Kalimdor, but surprisingly enough they passed without many incidents among the passengers. It was almost dawn when they finally arrived in Ratchet, which made it easier for the two of them to leave the boat and travel unnoticed. The sky was still dark when they left the port town, and it was dark again by the time they reached the borders of Ashenvale, having traveled nonstop north through the Barrens the entire day. Under the protective cover of the lush forest, Zelinda finally allowed herself to collapse.

"We should find a place to sleep soon…" she breathed, feeling her body ache from the excursion. Why did Moonglade have to be so damn far north? Raj didn't fare much better.

"Ya mon…" he replied wearily, before something caught his ear and he immediately tensed. She sensed it too, and instantly sat up. Both turned their heads north, their sharp ears picking up faint sounds far off in the distance. They could barely hear shouts and the clanging of metal, and they both quickly came to the same conclusion. _Great, a battle right in the direction we need to go. Figures… _Zelinda thought as she stood up. Cautiously, they both continued north towards the ominous sound.

Almost an hour later, they reached what Zelinda recognized as Silverwing Outpost, and found what they were expecting; a large battle had ensued between the night elves of Astranaar and the orcs of Warsong lumber camp. They hid in the bushes a safe distance from the fray and quietly observed for a minute, looking for a way to possibly avoid it. Raj then had an idea and smirked at Zelinda.

"Wanna join in?"

The look of horror on her face almost made him laugh out loud. "Jus' kiddin' mon!"

"That is NOT funny!" she hissed, glaring at him through narrowed eyes. She returned her attention to the battle, and pointed towards the river running alongside the outpost. "We'll go along that river. There's plenty of vegetation to hide us. I'll scout ahead, and you follow me. Okay?"

Raj nodded, and the two of them stealthily crept through the bushes, trying to ignore their comrades and their battle cries. Raj felt a pang of guilt as he watched one of his fellow orcs fall to an elf's spear, but ignored it as he continued moving towards the river. Zelinda and Kali lead the way along the riverbank, while he followed several meters behind, moving as silently as he could when they came dangerously close to a couple of night elf archers. They noticed Zelinda and nodded curtly at her, which she returned without breaking her pace. Raj followed quietly behind her, thinking he crept through successfully when he didn't notice one of the archer's ears twitching as he passed by.

They continued along the riverbank, and when it seemed they had passed the immediate area of conflict, Zelinda suddenly stopped. Raj stopped too, wondering if the elf sensed something ahead. After a few seconds, she cast a quick glance at him and made a slight motion with her hand, beckoning him to come. _Seems we made it through, _he thought with some relief. He was about to move forward, when the faint snap of a bowstring set off an alarm in his head.

_MOVE!_

He jumped to the side, but not quickly enough as an arrow imbedded itself into his shoulder. He yelped in pain and fell to his knees, before swiftly turning around to face his attacker. The night elf already had her bow aimed, ready for the next shot, and she was glaring at him menacingly. Raj returned the glare with equal intensity.

"What are you doing?" Zelinda yelled, running towards Raj as soon as she saw the arrow in him.

"_You_ should be more careful! This troll almost snuck up on you!" scolded the night elf in Darnassian, her eyes locked onto Raj. Two other elves were approaching with their swords drawn.

"What's going on here?" one of them demanded.

"I caught a rogue trying to sneak up on one… of…" She trailed off when she saw Zelinda run up to the wounded troll and pull out the arrow in a swift motion, eliciting a painful grunt from him. "Are you okay?" she said in a rushed voice, to which he responded with a slight nod. When she stood and looked towards the other elves, they were frozen, staring at her with eyes wide in amazement and confusion.

"Please don't hurt him!" she begged, her right arm held out in front of Raj as if that might protect him from their weapons. Raj quickly stood and lowered Zelinda's arm. He did not want her to become his shield. It was a few long seconds before any of the night elves spoke.

"Why shouldn't we?" the archer said darkly in Common. Zelinda cringed when she heard the words. She hadn't spoken any Darnassian to them yet, but their refusal to speak their native language with her anymore affirmed her alienation from them. It was as if she was no longer one of them.

"B…Because…" she stammered, her mind racing for something to say. The archer drew back her arrow and aimed it at Raj's chest.

"Why the hell shouldn't we?" she demanded, ready to shoot if given the order.

"Because I…" she said hesitantly, unsure if she should say it.

The night elf next to the archer narrowed her eyes. "Shoot him."

"BECAUSE I LOVE HIM!"

The next several seconds were filled with a deafening silence as everyone stared at Zelinda. The other night elves stood frozen in shock, gawking at her with impossibly wide eyes and dropped jaws, her declaration causing a malfunction in their thought processes. One of them even dropped their sword, letting it fall to the ground without a second thought.

"Wha… what did you say?"

"I… I uh…" she stuttered, looking away from their dumbfounded stares and into Raj's face, which had a very similar expression on it. For a second she wondered if he understood her, but she quickly realized from the way he was staring at her that he knew _exactly_ what she just said. _Oh gods…_ she thought as her face turned multiple shades of purple.

"So… you've changed sides, then…"

Zelinda snapped out of her daze and looked back at them. "No, it's not like that-"

"Then what's it like exactly?" The archer raised her bow again and aimed it at the troll. Zelinda struggled for something to say, but couldn't find the words.

The night elf next to the archer lowered her head, a look of disappointment on her face as she gazed at Zelinda. "Kill him anyway."

Zelinda impulsively threw herself in front of Raj. "No! Please don't-"

TWACK!

Before she could finish her sentence, she was quickly cut off by an arrow hitting her in the chest.

"ZEL!" Raj roared, watching in horror as she slumped to her knees. When she lost consciousness and fell back, he caught her before she hit the ground. "Zel! Wake up!" he yelled, shaking her lightly in an attempt to rouse her.

The archer gasped when she realized who she hit, and instantly dropped her bow.

"I didn't mean to… she just…"

The other two just gaped in shock, for the third time in five minutes, at the night elf's still body. Raj looked up and gave them a threatening glare, while Kali started growling uncontrollably towards them. One of the elves quickly recovered and held up her sword.

"Ignore her! Just shoot him!"

Before they could advance on him, however, Raj had thrown a small object on the ground and enveloped himself in a flash of bright light and smoke, causing them to cringe and cover their eyes for a moment. When the smoke cleared, he was gone, along with the night elf and the panther.

"Where did they go?" one of them said, glancing quickly around her.

The archer let out a weary sigh. She didn't even bother looking around for them. "Shit. They're gone."

A short distance away, Raj was running as fast as he could, with Zelinda in his arms and Kali trailing closely behind him. When he figured he was far enough away, he hid in the nearest cluster of bushes and looked down at Zelinda. She was barely conscious now, but her skin looked pale and her body was growing cold.

"Stay wit me, Zel…" he said shakily, smoothing some hair away from her face. Her eyes weren't as bright as they should have been. "Don' close ya eyes… try ta stay awake, 'kay?"

She slowly nodded, but she couldn't keep her eyes from drooping. He directed his attention to her chest. The arrow had hit her right at the edge of her leather armor, a couple inches above her heart. Raj quickly unfastened the chestpiece and threw it aside, astonished by how much blood had soaked her shirt. _She's gonna bleed ta death,_ he thought frantically. He reached for the arrow, but realized the bleeding would probably increase if he removed it. Panic was starting to cloud his thought process, and he wasn't sure what he should do next. _Dammit! If she be a troll she could survive someting like dis…_

His eyes widened. Of course! Why didn't he think of that?

Without a second thought, Raj took out one of his daggers and cut his own wrist, wincing as blood spurted out of the wound. _Hope dis works,_ he thought as he let the blood flow out of his wrist and onto her wound. He knew she wouldn't regenerate as quickly as a troll would, but at least this might prevent her from bleeding to death. After almost a minute, his wrist was already starting to heal a little and he had to cut it again to keep the blood flowing. This time, instead of putting it over the wound, he lifted her head up with one hand and brought his slashed wrist to her lips. "I kno' it be unpleasant, but it be da best I can do, mon." When the copper taste first filled her mouth, she choked on it and coughed violently, causing some of it to drip down her chin. He persisted, however, and he managed to get her to swallow several mouthfuls of blood before she slipped into unconsciousness again. Deciding it was as good a time as ever, he grabbed the arrow and swiftly pulled it out, slapping his hand over the wound when blood spurted out of it.

After applying pressure for what seemed like forever, Raj took the last of his first-aid bandages and dressed the wound, wrapping the cloth strips tightly around her chest. When he finished he looked back up at her face. Her breathing was shallow, and her skin was deathly pale by now. Kali nudged her master's hand gently with her nose, and when she got no response she looked up at Raj, her green slit eyes staring expectantly at him. _I can' do anymo' fo' 'er. She be needin' a doctor… _he thought, gathering her in his arms as he stood up. He knew there was a well-known orc healer at Splintertree Post…

He froze. Should he really take her to a Horde doctor, especially now? He looked down at the night elf in his arms. If he took her to the Horde, they would likely just kill her on the spot. Even if they didn't, the doctor would probably not give her the proper treatment and claim she died despite his best efforts. His other option was taking her to the Alliance, but that was nearly impossible. He'd probably get killed long before he could even approach one of their healers. _But den she'd a'least 'ave a chance…_ He looked at her bandaged chest. The bleeding had subsided by now, the troll blood seeming to have at least some effect, but her body was still frighteningly cold and her breathing was becoming more shallow. It wasn't hard for him to make his decision.

_I mus' be goin' crazy…_ he thought as he held her body tightly against his, making his way through the forest undergrowth with Kali following close behind.

* * *

Author's notes, Part 2:

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Don't ya love cliffhangers?

(SILENCE.)

…Umm…Please don't kill me…


	5. Chapter 5

Author's notes: God I love you guys… Your demands for another chapter have coerced me into dropping all my homework and finishing chapter 5 as soon as I could. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your comments. I'm glad that everyone loves Raj, but it makes me feel a little sad for Zelinda… (sniff sniff) Doesn't anyone like her? Even a little bit? I put a lot of effort into her character, so I'm really partial to her. Poor Zel… I'm just kidding. :) Anyway, now for some bad news: From now on, I need to focus on writing my thesis paper, which is due by the middle of December, plus I have reading and homework for four other classes, so I won't be able to work on this for a month or two. You should probably expect the next chapter sometime in December. I'm sorry everyone, but graduating from college takes precedence, and this fanfic ended up being much longer than I had originally intended. :) Don't worry, I will not abandon this project! NEVER! (raises fist in defiance) So until December, here's chapter five to occupy your time.

And now for the necessary disclaimer… I do not own World of Warcraft. On the contrary, it owns me. :) Enjoy.

P.S. Go see Serenity! It's an awesome movie, even if you didn't see the Firefly TV series. Go! See it! Before it's no longer in theaters!

…That is all.

* * *

"What is taking Barrett so damn long?" spat the female warrior as she stood impatiently at the window. She had been expecting the dwarf to return for the past couple days, and she was starting to get worried. Not that she'd ever show it openly, though. She was the kind who expressed her worry through scolding and criticizing. She stood with her arms crossed and her face stern, while her dark brown eyes tried to focus on anything that moved in the darkness. Some strands of ebony black hair fell from the loose bun on the back of her head, obscuring her eyes. She quickly brushed the annoying strands aside.

"He can take care of himself, Cassandra. Besides, standing at the window all day isn't gonna make him come any sooner!" mocked the other warrior from where he sat by the fireplace. His hair was also black and hung loose almost to his shoulders. Cassandra shot him a glare before reluctantly leaving the window and joining him by the fire. She hated it when her older brother was right.

"It shouldn't take this long, even with those stubby little legs of his!" she snapped before plopping down in front of the fire. The two humans stared at the scrawny little chicken cooking in the flames. Cassandra sighed at the thought of this sorry excuse for a meal being split up between five people. If Barrett didn't return soon, they might be forced to go out and try to find food for themselves. She wasn't a hunter, though, and neither was anyone else in the little cabin, so she knew their attempts would most likely fail. She may be a warrior, not the most intelligent of classes, but she was smart enough to realize that running through the forest with a loud battle cry wouldn't kill too many edible creatures. She might give them a heart attack, but the chances of that happening seemed slim to none.

"I'm sure he's fine. He has Maggie with him, right?" said a third human, a tall priestess with long blonde hair, sitting at a nearby table. She was always cheerful and optimistic, no matter what the circumstances… even if those circumstances included her losing twenty consecutive games of chess.

"Oh my. It seems you beat me again Miss Millie!" she said with a sincere and embarrassed smile. The gnome sitting across the table rolled her eyes.

"Why do you keep playing if you lose every time?" Millie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because it's fun! I don't have to win to enjoy myself," she said, beaming at the confused gnome. Millie just hung her head and sighed, her two big brown ponytails bobbing from the slight movement.

"I'll never understand you, Fiola. Can we at least play something else now?"

"Sure, what would you like to play?" Fiola said, still smiling. The raven-haired warrior chuckled and leaned towards Cassandra.

"Should I just give her something shiny? She'll probably be entertained for hours," he muttered softly, almost loud enough for the ones at the table to hear.

"Larth!" Cassandra hissed, glaring at her brother. She had to agree with him, though. Sometimes the priestess seemed to be about as sharp as a doughnut.

Her stomach gave a low growl, and she glanced at the chicken roasting in the fire. "It's probably ready now. Who wants some?" She stood up and looked towards the table where the other two women sat.

"Shouldn't we wake Mister Sylvan?" Fiola motioned towards the night elf on the floor in the corner.

"I'm tempted _not_ to…" Cassandra muttered, but walked briskly over to him nonetheless. When she reached him, she gave the sleeping rogue a light kick in the ribs.

"Wake up before I eat your food."

The night elf groaned and lazily rolled over. Apparently getting kicked in the ribs by Cassandra wasn't anything out of the ordinary. "Did we get our orders yet?" he mumbled sleepily.

"Not yet. Barrett hasn't come back, and no messengers from Silverwing outpost have arrived. For all I know, the war's over and we can go home," she added sarcastically.

Sylvan slowly sat up. "Strange… it isn't like the Sentinels to leave us here for so long, much less without sending someone." He stood and absently rubbed his sore ribs. "I wonder if something happened… at the outpost or to our messenger."

"Or to Barrett…" Cassandra added in a stern tone. It was becoming more difficult for her to hide her concern. Ashenvale had become even more dangerous to travel through after the massacre at Booty Bay, since both the Alliance and the Horde have adopted a "kill-on-sight" policy towards the opposing faction. She was tempted to go out and search for him if he didn't return soon. That actually sounded like a good idea. She had been itching to beat in a few orc skulls anyway.

Larth smiled as he watched his sister walk back to the fireplace and promptly remove the crispy mass of flesh that slightly resembled a chicken. "Just admit it. You're worried about him."

"I'm worried about us starving to death…" she retorted, her eyes narrowing as she held the bony chicken up with two fingers, as if she were blaming it for its own inadequacy. She remembered the huge mouth-watering meals her mother used to cook, back before the war called them away, and sighed heavily. She missed those meals. She wished she could just go home right at that moment and eat an entire apple pie all by herself.

"Hey Larth… What are you going to do when this war's over?"

Larth blinked, a little surprised by her question. Then he grinned. "That's easy… I'm gonna go back to Stormwind, get completely smashed, and bang the first girl I see!" He winked at his sister. "And it doesn't have to be in that order, either!"

Cassandra's pale face turned scarlet. "Dammit Larth! I'm serious!"

Fiola, also blushing, covered her mouth with her hand, while Millie was laughing so hard she almost fell out of her chair. "I'm pretty sure he _is_ serious, Cassie!"

"Damn right I am!" he proclaimed proudly. "I bet Sylvan's thinking the same thing! Am I right?"

The night elf looked a little sheepish when he responded. "I wouldn't put it quite so crudely, but for the most part, yes."

"Hell, even _I'm_ thinking the same thing," Millie said casually. Larth turned towards the gnome and gave her a surprised look.

"You're gonna bang the first girl you-"

"NO! Idiot!" Millie hollered, giving him an angry glare.

"What about you, Fiola?" Cassandra cut in, eager to change the subject.

"Me? Well… hmm…" She pondered the question for a moment before answering. "I think I'm going to go home and sleep for three days straight," she said cheerfully. Cassandra rolled her eyes. _I should've guessed…_

"And what will _you_ do when this war's over, Miss Cassandra?"

Before she could open her mouth to respond, the cabin door opened, letting in a gust of cold night air. Cassandra quickly rose to her feet. "It's about damn time!" she scolded, turning to face the door.

She froze.

After a couple seconds, the others turned to see what she was staring at. Millie almost instantly grabbed her mage's staff, and the others quickly followed suit, brandishing their weapons when they realized what was in the doorway.

It was a troll, his clothes and skin splattered with blood, with an equally bloody night elf in his arms.

For the longest ten seconds of his life, Raj just stood there, staring awkwardly at the dumbfounded group in front of him, until he finally decided to speak.

"Dere be a healer 'ere?"

The entire group just stared blankly at him, until Cassandra realized that the troll was speaking Common.

"You… know our language?"

Raj raised an eyebrow. Apparently he didn't find the most intelligent group of Alliance in Azeroth. "Ya gonna help me o' not?"

"Why the flying fuck should we help _you_?" demanded Larth, raising his large axe threateningly.

Raj glared at the warrior. His opinion of the Alliance was dropping every second he spent with these morons. Not that it was that high to begin with.

"Dis war made ya so fuckin' blind, ya can' see dat one of ya own be dyin' in front of ya?"

Cassandra blinked, realizing that what he said was absolutely right. She felt a small pang of guilt as she stared at the limp night elf.

"Go ahead an' kill me if ya 'ave ta…" he said spitefully. "A'least try ta save _her_." Raj immediately regretted saying those words, especially when Larth looked all too willing to comply with the first part. Nevertheless he held his ground, having long ago resolved to help her even at his own expense. After a few seconds of silence, Cassandra was the first to speak.

"Are you up for this, Fiola?"

The priestess gave her a surprised look. Then after a moment she slowly nodded her head. "If that's okay with you."

Larth looked like he just got slapped across the face. "You CAN'T be serious!"

"And why not?" Cassandra inquired. It was a genuine question.

"How do we know this isn't some trick? We should just kill him right-"

"NO!" she yelled, shocking her brother into silence. "No one is killing anyone! Got that?" Without waiting for a reply, she unsheathed her sword, which looked rather heavy for someone of her stature, and pointed it towards Raj.

"However, we sure as hell aren't going to lower our guard." She then turned her eyes towards Sylvan.

"Can you take her please?"

He nodded reluctantly, and slowly approached the troll. Raj watched the dark blue-haired elf as he tentatively took Zelinda from his arms and carried her towards the table. As soon as she was out of his proximity, the two warriors closed in on him, at which point he held up his hands in a non-threatening gesture.

"Drop your weapons," Cassandra demanded. Raj complied, unsheathing his two daggers and letting them drop to the floor, along with the two packs he was carrying.

"Sit there." She motioned with her head towards a bench against the wall, near the fireplace. "If you so much as blink, I really _will_ kill you. Understand?"

Raj slowly nodded, not quite believing his luck. It looked like he might actually get through this alive.

"Clear the table," Sylvan asked as he approached Fiola. She cleared it in seconds, while Millie scrambled away to get some water and a rag. Sylvan gingerly laid the elf across its surface just as the two siblings pulled up chairs to sit right across from Raj.

"So… now what? We're gonna sit here and watch him until Fiola finishes?" Larth asked skeptically, still holding his axe defensively.

"That's the plan," Cassandra responded.

Larth resisted the urge to curse. "I can't believe this…"

Fiola wasted no time undoing the bandages around Zelinda's chest. "I have to remove her shirt. May you guys please look the other way?" she asked timidly.

"Nothin' I 'aven't seen befo'…" Raj said absently. He realized he said that out loud when the two warriors stared at him with wide eyes. He surpressed a grin. _Yah, ya heard me right._ Sylvan, being more of a gentleman than some others in the room, turned away from the table and pulled up a chair next to Larth.

After she ripped the shirt open and Millie cleaned most of the blood, Fiola closed her eyes and held her hands inches above the wound. "This might take a while. The wound seems to be very serious. To tell the truth, I'm surprised she survived up until now." She muttered some soundless words, and within seconds a soft white light was emanating from her hands.

Raj couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh. He then leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms behind his head. "A while, eh? In dat case, can I take a nap?"

The two humans and the night elf all gave him cold, icy stares. _Guess not…_

"How do you two know each other anyway?" Larth asked, glancing towards the table.

Raj narrowed his eyes. "None of yo' business, mon."

"The hell it ain't!" snapped Larth. "How do we know she isn't a traitor and you two aren't spies or assassins or something!"

"I guess ya _don'_ kno', do ya…" Raj replied coolly. Realizing that probably wasn't the best response, he quickly recovered. "She ain' no traitor, mon. Whether ya believe me o' not be up ta you."

Sylvan raised an eyebrow. "Then you're saying _you _switched sides…"

Raj smirked. "I ain' no traitor eitha."

Cassandra stiffened. _What the hell's he playing at? We _definitely_ shouldn't drop our guard around him_, she thought, tightening her grip on her sword.

"For being enemies, you sure don't act like it…" Larth commented, a little confused by the whole situation.

Raj was getting tired of being interrogated. "We jus' wanna be left alone, mon." He crossed his arms across his chest, signaling the end of his side of the conversation.

Just then the cabin door swung open again, and a fiery-haired dwarf stomped in carrying a dead boar and two huge sacks of supplies, followed by a large grey wolf.

"Heeeeey laddies! I brought ye enough food to last… fer…" He stopped, noticing the two new additions to his group. Everyone, including Raj, stared at him in bewilderment.

"Did I miss something?"

* * *

Half an hour later, Fiola lowered her hands and opened her eyes. "I think I'm done now," she said, letting out a weary sigh. "I need to rest for a few minutes." She plopped down in a nearby chair while Millie covered the elf with a light blanket.

"She probably won't wake up for a while, but she should be fine now," the gnome said before scampering off the table to fetch some more fresh water to clean up the rest of the blood.

"Great! Can they finally go now?" said Larth apathetically. Cassandra scowled at him.

"We can't just kick them out while's she's still unconscious!"

"Aye, give the poor lass time to recover," Barrett chimed in. After being filled in on the details, the dwarf found the whole situation more amusing than anything. Unlike the others, he didn't seem quite so worried about Raj's presence. Millie returned shortly with the water and managed to climb back onto the table without spilling it.

"You want something to eat?" Barrett offered the troll. Raj stared at him blankly, not quite sure he heard him right.

"Don't give him our food!" yelled Larth.

"Why not? Might as well be good hosts, right?" The dwarf laughed heartily, much to Larth's chagrin. Back at the table, Millie had started to clean the blood off of Zelinda's face, when the night elf groaned softly. Millie abruptly stopped.

"I think she's waking up," Millie announced to the others. Raj made a move to get up and go to her, but immediately found two sharp blades inches from his face.

"Fine, I'll stay 'ere! Don' hafta be so jumpy, mon." He settled back in his seat and pouted.

As Zelinda slowly regained consciousness, she vaguely heard a voice: 'I think she's waking up…' The sound caused a dull pain to resonate in her head, and she winced. _My head hurts… What happened? _When she slowly lifted her heavy eyelids, she was greeted by big pale-green eyes staring into her own.

"How do you feel?" Millie asked, a concerned look on her face.

"…Like shit…" Zelinda whispered hoarsely. Millie grinned.

"Well, you would. You've lost a lot of blood," the gnome responded, looking down at the blood-soaked remnants of her shirt.

"Where… am I?" she murmured, trying to recollect the events that led up to her present situation.

"You're someplace safe. Just try to rest," Millie said soothingly, pulling the blanket around Zelinda's shoulders. Liking her suggestion, the elf nodded mutely and let her eyes close.

"_Don' close ya eyes… try ta stay awake, 'kay?"_

Her eyes snapped open.

"RAJ!" she yelled, bolting upright on the table and causing the blanket to fall to the floor. Millie, as well as everyone else in the room, stared at her in shock.

"Wh…what?"

"Where's Raj?" she demanded, looking desperately, and almost accusingly, at the gnome. Millie slowly turned and faced the only person she thought could possibly be 'Raj.' Zelinda followed her gaze and saw him, sitting against the wall and grinning at her like a cat.

"Yo' shirt be open, ya kno'," he smirked, staring at her bra-clad chest.

Her brain didn't even process the comment. "Oh gods, are you okay?" She practically jumped off the table and ran to him, but only got halfway before the lack of blood made her head spin. Raj bolted from his seat and caught her before she nearly blacked out. This time no one stopped him. They were all too busy staring dumbstruck at the two to care.

"Calm down, ya still need ta rest…" he said softly, holding her by the waist. Zelinda held onto one of his arms for support and tried to will her legs to stand on their own, but they were too weak and she couldn't keep them from giving out. When she almost fell, she grabbed one of Raj's tusks with her other hand and pulled herself up to rest her head on his shoulder, leaning into him and panting heavily onto his neck from the effort.

" 'Ey now, take it easy…" he whispered into her ear, clutching her close to keep her from falling again.

Cassandra watched the two closely. She was pretty sure she knew exactly what kind of relationship the two had, but she wasn't totally convinced. It seemed highly unlikely, plus she wasn't about to believe everything the troll told them. He could have been screwing with them for all she knew. However, seeing the night elf's reaction when she regained consciousness drove all doubts out of her mind.

"We need to talk…" she said sternly, glancing at the others in the room. "Millie, you and Maggie stay here and watch them. Everyone else, come with me." She marched towards the only other room in the small cabin, the one where the beds were kept, and motioned for the others to follow.

"Um… What are we going to do about them?" Fiola asked warily.

"That's what we're going to discuss," the warrior replied briskly, not even breaking her step.

Within seconds, everyone had filed out, leaving just Raj, Zelinda, Millie, and the wolf alone in the room. Raj looked down at the gnome for a few seconds, then raised an eyebrow.

"_You_ gonna be guardin' me?" he asked skeptically.

Millie glared defiantly up at him. "Don't screw with me. I'll turn you into a sheep so fast it'll make your head spin."

Raj laughed at hearing this. "Don' worry mon. Wouldn' tink 'bout it." He then lifted Zelinda into his arms and took her back to the table. After covering her with the blanket again, he pulled up a chair and sat next to her while Millie crawled into a chair a few meters away. Maggie, not the most experienced of guard dogs, was already asleep near the fireplace.

"Jus' lay down fo' a while, 'kay? Try ta get some sleep," Raj said, smoothing some green strands of hair from the elf's face. Zelinda nodded silently, but too many thoughts were going through her head for her to sleep.

"Where's Kali?"

"She be waitin' outside. Dat cat o' yo's be pretty smart, ya kno'. She a'least kno's da word 'stay.' "

Zelinda smiled weakly, then she noticed for the first time all the blood splattered on him. She gave him a worried look.

"Did you get hurt?"

Raj realized what she was staring at, and grinned sheepishly. "Naw mon, I be fine. Mos' of dis be yo's anyway."

She gave a relieved sigh. "Looks like I owe you again for saving my life."

Raj frowned at her. "Fool. Yo' da one dat saved _me_ back dere." His expression then softened a little. "Besides, ya don' hafta worry 'bout payin' me back. Not ever."

Zelinda smiled warmly at him, before finally closing her eyes to sleep. While staring at her serene face, Raj remembered something that had been at the back of his mind until now. He hesitated for a moment, but decided now was as good a time as any.

" 'Ey Zel?" he said in a low voice, trying to keep the gnome behind him from overhearing too much.

"Mmm?" Zelinda hummed in response.

"Uh… 'bout watchu said earlier…"

Zelinda opened her eyes, a little confused by his question. _What I said earlier?_

Then memory hit her.

_Ohhh SHIT._

Feeling her heart beat faster in her chest, Zelinda slowly sat up and forced herself to look at Raj. "What about it?" she said cautiously, trying to keep her voice from shaking too much.

"Well… Didja say wat I tink ya said?" He scratched the back of his head and stared down at the floorboards. Unlike Zelinda, he was trying to avoid looking straight at her. It wasn't like him to be so shy, and he mentally berated himself for it. Why was he so worked up over something like this anyway?

'_Cause ya love 'er too, ya fool._

He twitched. Stupid, pesky subconscious… He mentally ordered it to shut the hell up until this conversation was over. Then Zelinda's voice brought his attention back to her.

"Y-yes, but…" She paused, trying to find the right words. "…It sort of just popped into my head. I had to say something to stop them from shooting you…"

At hearing this, Raj gave her a strange look. "So ya didn' mean it, den."

His comment caught her off guard. _Is that true? Did I really not mean it?_ She stared at him for a moment, unable to say anything, before casting her gaze down towards her hands in her lap, contemplating his question.

Did she really love him? She wasn't even sure she knew what love was in the first place; at least, not enough to be able to recognize it. She admitted that she found him attractive, in a rugged kind of way, and her stomach felt like it was full of butterflies when he held her close to him, but she knew feelings like those usually fade over time, and it would be foolish to base anything on those feelings alone. So what made Raj different from anyone else? She may enjoy his company, but he was incurably promiscuous, not to mention a smartass, and he seemed to get too much satisfaction out of being able to push her buttons…

_But at least I can be myself around him._

She smiled inwardly. True, she didn't have to worry about keeping up appearances around Raj, like she had to around others, especially her fellow night elves. He didn't look down on her for getting angry, being a klutz, or for drinking 'till she got shit-faced. Hell, he thoroughly enjoyed those parts of her personality. She never had to worry about being judged by him. She even let herself cry in his presence, something she NEVER did in front of others. She hated it when anyone saw her being so vulnerable. The only other person she felt this comfortable around was her twin sister. If anything, he was at least one of the closest friends she ever had.

Okay, so he was a friend. Big deal. She wouldn't exactly be devastated if a friendship fell apart… That thought made her pause. What if it _did_ fall apart for some reason? Could she go on with her life normally without him? She slowly realized that she had never even considered the possibility before now. Even in Booty Bay, it would have been so much safer and easier for them to go their own separate ways, even if they were to meet up later on, but that option never even came up in her mind. She was more than willing to take her chances with him. Even though it _was_ a spur-of-the-moment decision, she didn't think twice about the consequences of that decision. He seemed so much a part of her life, that now the thought of him leaving her was…

She blinked, her eyes stinging as tears threatened to form. It was almost too painful to contemplate. Of course, she realized that if it happened, those painful feelings would probably fade over time as well…

_But you risked your life to keep him with you._

Her hand unconsciously went to her chest, still feeling some dull pain from the wound, and she smiled. They were _both_ willing to risk their lives for each other. Why else would Raj be sitting in a cabin with six members of the Alliance during an escalated war? If they did eventually go their separate ways, she doubted that it would leave her forever miserable or emotionally scarred… but it would certainly affect her for the rest of her life. She could never forget someone like him, not even if she tried.

When she lifted her eyes back to Raj, she was surprised to find him still staring at her, puzzled by all the emotions that passed through her face. When she just stared back at him, he raised an eyebrow, looking even more perplexed after her long silence. She resisted the urge to laugh, thinking how cute he looked when he was confused. Instead of laughing, she just smiled at him.

It may not be love… but it was good enough for her.

"Actually… I think I really did mean it."

Zelinda was surprised at how smoothly and effortlessly the words came out of her mouth. Raj, on the other hand, looked completely awestruck. He wasn't expecting that response at all. He wasn't expecting it to have such an impact on him either, especially since technically it was the second time he heard it. He suddenly felt… lighter, like nothing else in the world mattered at the moment; not the war, not the people in the next room, nothing but this feeling and the elf sitting in front of him. Suddenly he was aware of the growing silence between them, and even though Zelinda didn't look like she was expecting a response from him, he felt the need to say something. He wasn't sure he could reciprocate the sentiment at the moment, but he wanted to at least say _something_ to her.

The first person to speak, however, wasn't either of them.

"You really meant what?" asked Millie casually from her seat. They both jumped at the sound of her voice.

"Do ya hafta listen in on us?" Raj nearly yelled, spinning around in his chair to face the gnome.

Millie smirked at his reaction. "I can't really help it at the moment…" She then crossed her arms behind her head. "Oh well. It's not my business anyway," she said nonchalantly.

_Damn right it ain'…_ Raj thought as he glared at the gnome. Just then the door to the next room swung open, and Cassandra strode in purposefully, followed by the rest of the group. The raven-haired woman spoke first, and was extremely blunt, as usual.

"You two need to go. As soon as possible."

Raj and Zelinda stared at her, a little surprised, while Millie looked skeptical. "She just woke up, Cassie. Don't you think she should recov-"

"It's not my concern!" Cassandra snapped. "Besides…" She looked down at the troll and the night elf at the table, and paused. Raj watched as Cassandra's stern mask faltered for a second, and for the first time her face looked… regretful, maybe even sympathetic.

"We can't risk it. I'm sorry."

Zelinda stared at her, knowing all too well why she was in a rush to get rid of them. She couldn't blame them.

"It's not that we don't trust you two, exactly…" Fiola said hesitantly. "It's that we don't want to be caught harboring someone in your… um… situation." She faltered over the last word and blushed slightly. Larth, Sylvan and Barrett all seemed to agree with the two women; they needed to leave.

Cassandra continued. "Sentinels could show up at the door at any time, and if they found you two here with us…"

Raj nodded. "Dat be fine, mon. Ya done plenty already." He went to pick up their packs from the floor, and then went to help the elf off the table.

"Don't get me wrong. I will not hesitate to kill you next time I see you." Cassandra stared coldly at the troll, her grave seriousness making itself known again.

Raj smirked. "Didn' expect ya ta act othawise." As he placed Zelinda's arm around his neck, he paused to glance at the blonde priestess in front of him.

"Thanks, mon…" he said with a grateful look. Fiola's face slowly brightened.

"My pleasure, Mister Raj!" she replied, beaming at him.

Raj gave her an odd look, then shrugged. _She be a strange one…_ He then looked over at Millie.

"You too, lil' squirt." He smirked again when he saw the gnome pout angrily at him.

"You're welcome," she retorted, almost sounding sarcastic. Then she turned to Zelinda. "You can keep the blanket," she said with a little more kindness. The night elf smiled, grateful for it considering her shirt did little to keep her warm anymore. With that, the two decided to take their leave, with Raj walking towards the exit while Zelinda was leaning against him. When they reached the door and Raj opened it, Zelinda looked back over her shoulder at Cassandra, mouthing the words 'thank you' even though they weren't visible. The warrior seemed to understand, however, and nodded her head in response. Then, as abruptly as they appeared, they were gone. After a couple seconds of staring at the door, someone finally spoke.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Fiola asked, almost more to herself than to anyone in the room.

"It's no longer our problem," Cassandra replied dryly, even though her concern for the two travelers was growing the more she thought about them. She'd never admit it, though.

* * *

Raj didn't waste any time. He continued walking north throughout the entire night, carrying Zelinda on his back during intervals when she slept. He seemed to be doing that a lot since he first met her. He wanted to get to Moonglade as soon as possible at this point, lest something ELSE should happen to either of them, so he refused to sleep until they reached their destination. Plus, Felwood was one of those places where you _definitely_ didn't want to stop and rest in the woods. Not unless you wanted to make friends with a rotting pack of rabid wolves. The Timbermaw Cave wasn't exactly a cakewalk, either. The only reason the furbolgs didn't kill them on sight was because they knew Zelinda and her sister were friendly with their tribe before. They finally exited the mouth of the cave and saw the lush green borders of their destination by the time the sun was rising over the eastern horizon.

"Dis be Moonglade?" Raj asked, weary from the whole excursion. He had been running across half of Kalimdor for more than twenty-four hours, and was almost too exhausted to stand anymore.

"Sure is. We finally made it," Zel responded, leaning up against his arm. Despite the fact that she got some sleep, she didn't fare much better. Even Kali looked ready to collapse soon.

"So we be safe now?"

Zelinda smiled at him. "Yeah… we're safe. We can stop running now."

Raj let out a relieved sigh, at which point his body decided it had no reason to function anymore. "Dat's… good…" he mumbled, feeling his knees start to give out from underneath him. At the moment, he didn't give a damn.

"Raj?" Zelinda asked, her eyebrows furrowing in concern.

Her voice was the last thing he heard before he blacked out.

* * *

Author's notes, part 2: Yeah… it's not the best place to leave off, but if I didn't end the chapter it would have probably gone on for at least another seven pages, which would have taken another week to write. I figured I kept you waiting long enough. :)


	6. Chapter 6

Author's notes: Sorry about this being so late! I finally finished my thesis paper, but unfortunately I also work in retail, so the Christmas season has kept me extremely busy for the past few weeks. Sorry if this chapter seems a bit rushed, but I wanted to get it done before I went home for the holidays. It is probably riddled with errors (stupid auto-edit keeps getting rid of my paragraph separators… grrr…) but I was so glad I finally finished it that I decided to post it now and correct it later. Anyway, I found out recently that I can give reviews on my own fanfic, so I'll probably use it in the future to inform you all of my progress if I'm lagging behind or something like that (since technically we're not supposed to write chapters that are only updates). Anyway, here ya go! Chapter 6! Enjoy. :)

Also… Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanzaa… whatever it is you celebrate, have a good holiday everybody. :)

* * *

Raj awoke to the sound of birds chirping and water running over rocks faintly in the distance. _Mus' be near a waterfall…_ he thought groggily. Judging by the peaceful atmosphere and the soft bed he was laying on, he was someplace relatively safe, and therefore wasn't too concerned about it at the moment. The serene sounds were starting to lull him back into unconsciousness, when he felt soft hands apply a cool compress to his forehead. He lazily opened his eyes and was relieved to see Zelinda's face in front of him… or at least what he _thought_ was Zelinda's face.

" 'Ey sexy," he said sleepily, taking a hold of her wrist as she started to pull away from him. When the startled elf uttered some confused Darnassian, Raj woke up with a start, letting go of her wrist as quickly as if it had burned him. He focused his eyes more closely on the night elf in front of him. She looked exactly like Zelinda; she had the same lavender skin, full lips, cute little nose, and big bright eyes surrounded by thick, dark eyelashes. Her shoulder-length hair, however, was a deep amethyst hue, and her face had two blood-red claw-like marks running over her eyes and down her cheeks.

"Zel's sista?" Raj asked hesitantly, not sure if she could understand Common. To his relief, the elf smiled at hearing her sister's name.

"My name's Filianna," she said with a warm smile while removing the compress from his head. "How do you feel?"

" 'Kay, I guess…" he said while slowly sitting up.

"Well you should! You slept for nearly two days!" scolded a familiar voice from the doorway. Raj turned and saw Zelinda, standing with her hands on her hips and grinning despite her harsh tone. She was wearing the black, green and gold dress he was so fond of, and her dark green hair was tied up in a ponytail, her long bangs framing the sides of her face.

"You're really heavy, you know! I had to send Kali ahead to fetch someone to help carry your lazy ass!" she mocked playfully. Filianna ignored her sister's teasing and turned back to Raj. "You must be hungry. Do you want something to eat?" she asked politely. When Raj shrugged in response, she smiled and stood up. "I'll be right back," she said warmly as she walked through the doorway and down the stairs.

As she left, Raj took in his surroundings for the first time. He was in a small room, built completely out of wood, on a bed next to an open window, out of which he could only see masses of green leaves. It was the only window in the room; the other three walls were covered with bookshelves, all of them as tall as the ceiling and overflowing. A couple books were lying open on a nearby table, the only other furniture in the entire room.

"So she likes ta read, eh?" Raj said, more to himself than to Zelinda.

"Actually, this used to be my room."

Raj gave her a surprised look. "Really?"

"Well, she uses it too..." She carefully picked up the open books on the table. "Since I'm gone most of the time, they turned this into a guest room of sorts. The books on magic are hers, but the rest are ones I've collected, mostly on history and mythology…" she said absently while putting the books in her hands in their respective places on the shelf. Raj smirked as he watched her slender form stretch to reach a particularly difficult shelf.

"Ya be lookin' fine today."

Zelinda gave an annoyed sigh. "This is the only thing I own that isn't bloody or ripped, so I'm stuck with it for a while," she said as she walked over to the bed and sat on the edge of it.

"Can' ya borrow summin' from ya sista?"

Zelinda rolled her eyes. "Her clothes are even girlier than _this_," she said disdainfully, looking down at her dress.

"I see…" Raj responded, remembering the red and pink dress Filianna was wearing as she left the room. The druid wasn't quite what he was expecting. She seemed very feminine, in both her appearance and her mannerisms. She was very quiet and polite, and had a sweet, gentle disposition. In other words, she was absolutely _nothing_ like Zelinda. If they weren't identical twins, he wouldn't have guessed that they were related at all.

"I hope you don't mind if it's cold…" Filianna said as she reached the top of the stairs, carrying a tray of various foods and a glass of water. When she entered the room, however, she tripped over the rug on the floor, falling flat on her face and scattering the contents of the tray across the floor. Raj and Zelinda just stared in shock.

"Oh dear…" she said timidly as she sat up, her face purple from embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I'll get some more," she said as she started to clean the mess she made.

"Don't worry about it Filia..." Zelinda consoled as she bent down to help.

Raj, however, was grinning from ear to ear. "Now I KNOW she be yo' sista!"

If looks could kill, Zelinda's death glare would have felled a herd of kodo. "It seems you're never too tired to be a smartass…" she retorted, her voice dripping with venom.

A shuffling sound drew everyone's attention to the doorway. There, peeking shyly around the corner, were several young elves, speaking in hushed whispers.

"It's not polite to eavesdrop!" Zelinda scolded as she stood up, eliciting high-pitched laughter as the children quickly disappeared down the stairs. Zelinda yelled after them in Darnassian, while Filianna just smiled and turned to Raj.

"Don't mind my daughter and her friends. They've never seen a troll before, and they've been curious about you since you two arrived." She finished cleaning the floor and stood with the tray in her hands. "I'll be back with some more food."

"Don' worry 'bout it," he said, taking an apple off the tray. "Dis'll do fine, mon."

Zelinda gave him a skeptical look. "That's all you're having?"

"Ya mon. I need ta move around mo' dan I need ta eat," he said as he left the room. "I be outside fo' a bit."

Zelinda shrugged as he walked past her and down the stairs. "Do as you wish."

Raj stepped outside and took a deep breath of fresh air as he took in his surroundings. He decided he'd never been anywhere as beautiful as Moonglade. The thick forest reminded him of Ashenvale, with its tall canopy-like trees and lush vegetation, but the dim twilight sky seemed to remain constant here, and he could only guess that it was around the middle of the day. He saw a few wisps here and there, the small orbs of faintly glowing light giving the forest an ethereal feeling. He found Kali stretched out asleep near a lonely wooden bench not far from the small house. _Ya mus' be da laziest cat I eva met…_ he thought as he walked over to the bench and sat on it, idly munching on his apple. The sounds of birds and other wildlife resonated around him, complimenting the dull roar of a waterfall draining itself into a huge lake off in the distance. He could see a few night elves and taurens walking about, and despite the lack of interaction between the two races, they seemed very tolerable of each other. There were no signs of the war that plagued the rest of Azeroth outside the borders of this tranquil forest. _Might not be so bad ta live near a bunch o' night elves fo' a while…_ he thought as he finished his apple. He still felt a little uneasy about staying with Zelinda's sister. He was pretty sure his presence wasn't exactly welcomed among the rest of her kind living here.

Some hushed whispers and stifled laughter caught his attention, and he saw the same group of young elves from before watching him from around a large tree. Despite their obvious curiosity, they seemed hesitant to get any closer to him. He wasn't surprised; he figured they had heard enough scary stories about trolls to make them want to keep their distance.

_O' maybe not…_ he thought as he watched one of the little elves approach him, surprising him with her boldness. The others tried to wave her back, but she was unaffected by their protests as she walked towards him in a calm, yet determined manner. When the precocious child stopped a few feet in front of him, all he could do was stare at her in awe. She appeared to be about seven years old, at least compared to a troll child, and her deep purple hair was long and hung loose around her round, pretty face.

"Hello," she said cheerfully.

"Yo…" Raj said hesitantly, not quite sure how else to respond.

"What's your name?"

This girl seemed to know Common fairly well, especially for being so young. "Raj."

She smiled broadly. "I'm Kylanni! Nice to meet you!" She held out her small hand to him, but he just stared quizzically at her.

"Aren' ya 'fraid o' me at all?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

She shook her head, her smile never fading. "Aunt Zellie says you're her friend, so you _must_ be nicer than other trolls."

Raj smirked at her. "Thanks fo' da compliment."

She grinned even broader, glad that she finally managed to get a smile out of him. Having established her friendship, she climbed onto the bench next to the troll, swinging her legs back and forth as she sat there in silence. After a few moments she looked up at him.

"Wanna play something?"

* * *

"You want to celebrate _what_?" Zelinda repeated, looking up from her work. She was stitching up her newly-washed shirt, while Filianna was bustling about in the kitchen, getting ready to prepare what looked like enough food to feed a small army.

"A friend of mine, Alathea, gave birth recently, so we decided to have a gathering and make a festive occasion out of it. Since you're here as well, I might as well celebrate you coming home after being gone for a whole year!" She pretended to scold her sister for her long absence, but Zelinda knew by her smile that she was just teasing. It was hard to imagine Filianna ever scolding anyone.

"Well, you sure are putting a lot of effort towards this..." Zelinda said as she looked at the mound of food.

Filianna's smile softened a bit. "This celebration is more for Alathea than for her son. Her husband died a few months ago, and she's been feeling melancholy since. We're hoping this will cheer her up a bit."

"I see." As Zelinda looked back at her sewing, she heard her niece's cheerful laughter from outside the window. She smiled to herself.

"Kylanni seems to be doing fine without her father…" she said, more to herself than to her sister. She remembered how depressed the little girl became when her father went into the Emerald Dream to continue with his training as a druid. She became very quiet and withdrawn; she even stopped talking for a little while, which worried her and her mother. She seems to have adjusted now, and Zelinda was glad to see her become the cheerful, light-hearted girl she once was again.

"Yes, it doesn't seem to bother her as much anymore. She's made a lot of friends, as you can see…" Filianna spoke cheerfully, but Zelinda could tell she hit a sore spot, and regretted saying those words out loud.

"You miss Falren, don't you?"

Filianna stopped her work, and after a few seconds turned towards her sister, smiling despite the slightly forlorn look in her eyes. "Every day."

"Well, you'll see him soon enough!" Zelinda responded, trying to cheer her up. "When are you finally going into the Emerald Dream yourself?"

It seemed to have its affect, as Filianna's face brightened. "I'll go in when Kylanni get a little older… I don't think she should grow up without either of her parents, and luckily my trainers feel the same way."

"Your trainers…" Zelinda started, a little hesitant. "…They don't mind us staying here, do they?"

"Don't worry about it," Filianna reassured. "They were reluctant at first, but they approve of you staying in Moonglade, as long as neither of you give them a reason to think otherwise."

"That's a relief…" Zelinda responded. She was silent for a moment, before she decided to speak again.

"Um, Filia… are you okay with this?"

Filianna gave her a surprised look. "Of course I'm okay with this, Zelinda! We have enough room, even though it's a small house, and we wouldn't mind you staying here even if we didn't have room. Don't worry about imposing, you can visit as often as you like!"

"That's not what I meant…" Zelinda cut her off. "I mean… are you okay with Raj and me… you know, being together?"

Filianna stared at her sister for a long moment, before giving her a warm smile. "Even if I wasn't, it wouldn't change anything, would it?"

Zelinda grinned. "I guess not."

Filianna laughed lightly. "You've always done whatever you wanted, despite what everyone else thinks." She turned around again to finish cleaning and preparing the rest of the food. "I admit I was surprised at first, but he seems nice enough, and I trust your judgment."

"Thanks, Filia… and thanks for letting us stay here."

"Like I said, don't worry about it. You two can stay here as long as you like, granted you don't do anything to upset the others, like start a fight or something."

Just then some loud shouts reached their ears, and they sat straight up and exchanged startled looks. When they realized it was the children, they quickly got up and walked outside.

"What's all the racket abou-" Zelinda stopped in mid-sentence when she saw what had the kids so excited. The tiny mob had gathered around Raj, who was showing them a trick or something, she wasn't quite sure. Whatever it was, it had the kids enraptured and squealing with delight. Raj looked like he was having his share of fun as well.

"My, he seems to be great with children!" Filianna said cheerfully.

"Yeah…" Zelinda replied, still staring at Raj with a slight blush on her cheeks. _I didn't know he liked kids… I wonder what he's doing that has them so interested_.

"Show us another trick!" one of the young elves asked, causing the others to eagerly repeat the request.

"A'ready did it, mon," Raj said, confusing the young group until he opened his hand, revealing a small red purse with a couple coins in it. One of the older boys gasped at seeing it, and quickly checked his pocket, confirming that it was, indeed, his. The other children laughed and cheered while the boy looked back at Raj.

"How did you do that?" he asked, his voice filled with awe and admiration.

Raj grinned. "Ya wanna learn how?"

"RAAAAAJ!"

The troll cringed at Zelinda's voice, while the children ran off laughing as the night elf quickly approached, followed by her sister. Raj stood up, that same mischievous grin he always wore plastered across his face.

"Summin' wrong?"

"Exactly WHAT are you trying to teach them?" she demanded as she reached him.

"Jus' some importan' life skills, mon."

"Important, my ass!" she yelled, her nose twitching as she glared at him. While she continued to reprimand him, Kylanni came out from the other side of Raj and ran up to Filianna.

"Mama! I wanna be a rogue!"

Zelinda paused her ranting and turned on her niece. "You _what_?"

"I wanna be a rogue, like Raj!"

"See what you've started?" she said as she spun around to face Raj again. The troll's grin never faltered.

Her sister, however, was a little less severe. "I thought you wanted to be a Sentinel when you grow up," she said warmly to her daughter.

"I wanna be a Sentinel AND a rogue!" the young elf proclaimed proudly.

Filianna smiled sweetly. "We'll see, okay?"

Just then a black tauren carrying a dead boar and some wild fowl came into view, coming up over the hill and approaching the small house. Filianna recognized him. "Ah good, the rest of the food's here!" She waved and walked towards him, offering to relieve him of his load.

"You must've carried these so for long! Thank you very much, Thoran," she said with a sweet smile.

"Don't mention it…" the tauren replied in a low voice.

"Thoran?" Zelinda asked, walking up to the two and looking at the tauren more closely. Her face lit up when she recognized him. "It's you!"

Thoran blinked at her, and gave a small smile when he realized she was the night elf he met on the ship to Ratchet. "Hey elfie…" He also recognized the troll behind her, and nodded at him in acknowledgement. Raj returned the gesture.

"So what brings you here, anyway? Are you a druid too?" Zelinda asked the tall ox.

Thoran shook his head. "Wife's a druid… Came to see her." His Common was still slow and somewhat broken. He then pointed towards Filianna and gave Zelinda a questioning look. "Sister?"

Zelinda grinned and nodded in agreement. Thoran gave a low chuckle. "Small world."

"I was going to introduce you to our neighbors, but it seems you two have already met!" Filianna said with amusement. She turned to Thoran again. "Are you and your wife going to join us this evening? We'd love to have you!"

Thoran nodded shyly. "Sure…"

"Join us fo' wat?" Raj asked.

"My friend gave birth recently, and several of us are celebrating by having a big feast. Would you like to come as well?" Filianna asked with a smile that was hard to resist.

Raj gave her a slightly skeptical look. "Dey all be night elves, right?" he asked hesitantly.

"Thoran will be coming, so you won't feel completely isolated," Zelinda reminded him.

Raj looked at the tauren and gave him a small smile. "Aw hell, why not?"

"You might want to change though, unless you don't mind going with all those bloodstains," Filianna commented, motioning to his bloody clothes.

"Dis be all I got," Raj said, shrugging as though he didn't mind much.

"In that case, I'll loan you some of my husband's clothes while we wash yours, okay?"

Raj was less than thrilled at the prospect. "I dunno…"

"Oh come on! Don't you wanna look nice for tonight?" Zelinda teased, grabbing his wrist and pulling him into the house. If she had to suffer from wearing a dress, then by the gods, he was doing to dress up too.

"Don' really care, mon…"

"Oh sure you do!" Filianna chimed in, grinning as she took his other arm. "You need these clothes washed anyway, right? You might as well change out of them!"

As the two sisters continued to tease him, Thoran just stood there, chuckled lightly as they tried to pull the protesting troll into the house.

* * *

Raj looked disdainfully at his new attire. _Guess it could be worse, mon…_ He was wearing a pair of loose pants and a vest, both dark green and of a silky material. It didn't look silly, but it was still night elf clothing, and he grumbled a bit as he walked down the small hallway. _Da tings I put up wid fo' dat girl…_

"But I don't wanna go to bed, Aunt Zellie!"

Raj stopped, hearing the small voice come from a nearby open doorway. Curious, and not having much else to do at the moment, he leaned up against the wall, out of sight, and listened to their conversation.

"I'm sorry sweetie, but its mother's orders. Besides, you shouldn't be up this late anyway," Zelinda said as she sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the covers around the little girl's shoulders. Or at least she attempted to; the girl wouldn't sit still for more than two seconds.

"But I'm not sleepy! I wanna stay with you and Raj!" Kylanni cried as she hugged Zelinda around the waist.

"Silly girl, We'll still be here tomorrow morning!"

The young elf pouted as she looked up at her aunt. "Promise?"

"Yes, I promise."

"You won't leave tomorrow, will you?"

_So that's what she's worried about. _She smiled warmly at her niece. "No, I won't leave tomorrow like I always do. I'm actually going to stay here with you and your mom for a while, okay?"

Kylanni looked suspiciously at her. "Remember… you promised."

She laughed at her niece's skepticism. "Don't worry, I won't forget. Now then, what do I have to do to get you to go to sleep now?" she asked playfully as she looked around the small room. "Do you want me to read you a story?"

Kylanni shook her head.

"Well then, what would you like me to do?"

Kylanni pondered over the question for a moment before answering. "Could you sing a song, Aunt Zellie? Like you used to?"

Zelinda blinked. "A song?"

Raj resisted the urge to snicker. He almost couldn't imagine the tomboyish elf who could curse worse than a drunk orc singing someone to sleep. _She pro'lly sound like a dyin' cat._

He was quickly proven wrong, however, when the next thing he heard was some of the most beautiful singing that ever reached his ears. He didn't believe it at first, and looked into the room to make sure it really was Zelinda. _Well I be damned…_ he thought as he leaned up against the doorframe and watched her intently. Her voice was soft, but clear and resonant as she sung her niece to sleep. He couldn't understand the Darnassian words, but he didn't give a damn. It was beautiful and rhythmic, and the elvish words flowed together like silvery music rather than a spoken language.

By the time she finished her lullaby, Kylanni was fast asleep. Zelinda pulled the covers over her and kissed her forehead before standing up at turning towards the door. She nearly jumped when she saw Raj standing in the doorway, grinning at her like a cat.

"How long were you standing there?" she hissed, trying not to wake up the little girl behind her.

"Long enough, mon. Where ya learn ta sing like dat?"

Zelinda blushed furiously. "I didn't learn… I was always able to sing, since I was little…"

Raj grinned even wider. "Dis be da first time I seen yo' feminine side… was startin' ta tink ya didn' 'ave one, mon."

He waited for her to get frustrated at his comments and stomp out of the room in a huff, but instead she blushed even deeper and stared down at the floorboards, trying to avoid his gaze. "W-we should get going…" she stuttered as she walked quickly past him and out of the room. Raj gave her a confused look, but shrugged it off and followed her outside.

_Damn it, why am I being so shy? _Zelinda thought to herself, feeling her heart race in her chest. She was surprised to find Raj in the room with her, but she was more surprised by his physical appearance. He looked good in his new clothes… _really_ good. Even now, her stomach still felt like it was full of butterflies whenever she glanced at him. _I haven't felt this way since we first kissed in Booty Bay…_

Then something occurred to her… they had no reason to conceal their relationship anymore. They were no longer running around half of Kalimdor, and they didn't have to worry about being branded as traitors here in Moonglade. They finally had the chance to develop their relationship on a more physical level. Her mind started wandering, and her blush was getting deeper every second, until she snapped back to reality and quickly shook her head. _Stop thinking like that! You have to help Filianna set up everything! _She quickened her pace down the hallway, determined not to think about the confused troll walking next to her.

* * *

By the time the sun had set, the event was in full swing, with nearly every night elf in Moonglade gathering outside Filianna's house. A few were surrounding Alathea to fawn over her new son, but most of the guests were drinking, dancing, laughing, and causing a ruckus overall. Despite the jovial atmosphere, Raj felt uncomfortable around so many night elves. He was sitting on a log facing a small fire, next to Thoran and his wife Tawna, the only other Horde members present. He chatted idly with the two taurens, but quickly became bored without Zelinda, who was running around helping her sister with random things. A couple of the elf children he played with earlier came up to him to keep him company, but they were quickly called away by their parents, obviously not wanting their children to associate with someone like him. He was starting to question why he bothered coming, when he saw a familiar elf walking towards them with a big grin and her arms full.

"I come bearing ale! Enjoy!" she said as she passed each of them a tall mug.

" 'Bout time ya showed up," Raj smirked as she handed him his share.

Zelinda just smirked back as she sat next to him on the log, with her back to the fire so she could somewhat face him. "Everything's done now, so I can finally sit down and relax." She took a swig of her ale, while Raj just stared at her, ignoring his own drink. Even though her running around had caused her clothes to look unkempt and her loose hair to look slightly disheveled, she was still the most divinely beautiful creature he'd ever seen.

"Yo' hair be all mess'd up, ya kno'…" he teased as he smoothed some dark green strands from her face. She blushed slightly, not just at the touch but also at her current appearance.

"It's because I kept tripping earlier…" she said shyly, trying to smooth the rest of her emerald hair.

"Dat ain' surprisin'," he said with a grin.

"Oh shut up!" Zelinda hissed as she glared at him. "It's this stupid dress! I swear I'm _never_ going to get used to wearing it! I must've tripped ten times earlier!"

Raj grinned as certain thoughts suddenly popped into his head. Realizing that there was nothing keeping him from openly flirting with her any longer, he decided it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

"If ya hate it so much, why don'cha jus' take it off?" he asked with a wicked grin.

Zelinda felt the blood rush to her face as he grinned at her, those same mental images she was trying to get rid of earlier popping into her head again. However, instead of shying away, she smiled archly at him, deciding to play along with him.

"Well, if you say so, then maybe I should…" she said teasingly.

"Dat so?" Raj said as his grin widened, not expecting her to reciprocate. Emboldened by her flirting back, he grasped her waist with one hand and pulled her close, feeling her body tense up against his at the sudden contact.

"Ya gonna do _everyting_ I tell ya tonight?" he whispered huskily in her ear. He expected her to get flustered and pull away, maybe even get a little mad at him, but she startled him when her silvery eyes met his and her lips curved into a mischievous grin.

"You wanna find out?"

Raj just stared at her, completely thunderstruck by her comment. Instead of waiting for a reply, the night elf set her ale down and stood up, stretching a little before walking away from the boisterous gathering and up the hill towards the house. She glanced coyly behind her to see if Raj was following, at which point his subconscious gave him a swift mental kick in the ass. _GET UP AND GO, YA FOOL!_

Recovering his motor skills, Raj quickly got up and followed Zelinda, his grin getting bigger the farther they got from the laughter and noise. The only one who noticed their departure was the tauren warrior sitting several meters away. He chuckled softly when he saw the two leave.

"What is it?" Tawna asked as she looked at her husband.

"Nothing…" Thoran responded, smiling a little as he looked back at the contents of his mug. "Nothing at all."

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

Author's notes: Aww yeah! Twelve pages! I RULE! (does the happy dance). This has to be the most effort I have put into a chapter so far, so I hope it's better than the last one. I hated the last one. I definitely shouldn't have rushed it, 'cause it would have come out better. Oh well. Anyway, there are two things I would like to mention about this chapter. First off, about the lack of excessive angst in my writing… some of you apparently like the fact that my story isn't angst-y. Well, hate to disappoint you, but this chapter's got plenty of it. Sorry about that. There had to be some angst eventually, right? Second: A detailed bedroom-scene between Raj and Zel? Nuh-uh. No way. Absolutely not. Not even if you paid me. Well… maybe if you paid me a LOT, but it's probably more than you can afford! I couldn't even write the first chapter of this story without blushing, so if you want something like that, go to adult ff dot net. Or use your imagination. Or write it yourself. I don't frickin' care, just don't bug me for one. It doesn't drive the plot at all, and… well… I just can't write one! So nyeh! P Oh yeah! Almost forgot! I drew some stuff! Yay! So if you want to check out a couple pictures I drew, go to www dot deviantart dot com / deviation / 27842311 / and www dot deviantart dot com / deviation / 27842209 /. Minus the spaces, of course. The first one is a quick sketch of Zelinda. Well, technically it's a page of Chinese history notes… heheh… Anyway, it came out really good so I decided to post it. The second one is a really cute picture of Raj and Zel, which I will finish eventually. I don't know why I made him look pissed off… He's probably pissed because I drew him cute. :) Yeah, that's it. So check them out! On a final note, thank you to everyone who reads my stories! Your reviews encourage me to keep writing! Okay, I'm done. :) On to the story!

* * *

Filianna let out a long yawn as she entered the kitchen, opening the curtains to let in the dim morning sunlight. The previous night had left her exhausted and worn-out, but she was a morning person and found it impossible to sleep in after the sun had risen. Still a little drowsy, she went about making breakfast from the food left over from last night's festivities. By the time she sat down with her plate of food at the table, her daughter came into the kitchen.

"You're up early, Kylanni," Filianna said cheerfully. "Are you hungry?"

"Mama, do you know where Aunt Zellie is?"

"Aunt Zellie?" she asked, looking a little surprised. "She isn't in your room?"

Due to lack of beds, Zelinda was borrowing Kylanni's room while Kylanni slept with her mother. The young elf shook her head. "Her stuff's still there, so she didn't leave… but…"

"Don't worry," Filianna said, comforting her daughter while trying to hide a sly smile. "I'm pretty sure I know where she is."

* * *

Raj had been staring at her for nearly twenty minutes. He was on his side, with his head propped up on his elbow, watching the night elf's serene face as she slept. Zelinda was on her side facing him, her warm body curled up against his as she breathed softly into his chest. Raj's gaze drifted down to her bare chest, noticing the small scar left from the arrow that hit her. He smiled softly as he ran his fingers gently over it, the only flaw in her perfect pale skin. Not that he considered it a flaw; if it were up to him, he wouldn't get rid of that scar for anything.

Zelinda moaned when his fingers made contact with her skin, and her bright glowing eyes slowly opened. When her eyes focused on him, Raj's breath caught in his throat, unsure of her reaction. When she blushed and smiled up at him, he let out a relieved sigh.

"How long have you been up?" she asked in a playful tone.

He grinned at her. "Fo' a while now."

"And you've been watching me this whole time?" she asked bashfully, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"Watchin'… and tinkin'…" he said absently while running his hand through her dark hair.

"Thinking about what?"

His grin widened, and he pulled her closer to him. " 'Bout how I 'ave da mos' beautiful mate in Azeroth."

She laughed lightly. "So I'm your mate now, am I?"

He smiled tenderly at her. "Ya mon."

Her smile slowly faded, replaced by a look of shock. _He's not kidding…_

"Wait… am I really… your _mate_?"

The troll gave her a confused look. "Summin' wrong?"

Zelinda sat up, looking rather flustered. "I thought… don't trolls… when they choose a mate, they mate for life, right?"

Raj sat up as well, still looking a little perplexed. "Ya, so?"

"So… you chose _me_?"

Raj gave her a shy smile and nodded, making her face burn as she blushed furiously.

"Does that mean… that you're _my_ lifelong mate as well?"

Raj shrugged. "Dat be up ta you. Jus' 'cause ya be my mate, don' mean I be yo's. Wouldn' be fair ta ask da same from ya anyway, since ya ain' a troll. If it don' work out, ya still be free ta leave me, ya kno'."

Zelinda furrowed her brow in thought. "But if I leave, won't you find another mate?"

Raj smirked. "I might be sleepin' 'round again, but I won' eva find me a new mate. Ya always be my mate Zel, no matta what."

Zelinda raised an eyebrow. "You trolls have strange customs." Raj chuckled a little, but her expression remained thoughtful. "I still don't understand. Why would you want to give yourself completely to me, with no strings attached, when tomorrow I could turn around and leave you for someone else? Why me and not…" Her gaze drifted down to her hands, which were fidgeting nervously. "…one of your own?"

Raj gave her a tender smile as he brought his hand to her face, tilting her chin up so her silver eyes were staring into his amber ones.

" 'Cuz I love ya, Zelinda."

She froze. Her breath caught in her throat, and her eyes grew impossibly wide as she stared up at him. Before she could recover enough to reply, Raj leaned down and kissed her, her eyes gradually closing as she responded to him. "I love you too…" she whispered against his lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

After a few minutes she slowly broke the kiss, another question popping into her head. "Do trolls have a… a ritual or something when they take a mate?"

Raj gave her a wicked grin. "Ya mean 'sides what we did last night?"

Zelinda narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes, besides _that_," she replied sarcastically.

The troll thought for a second, then shrugged. "Not really, mon."

_I should've guessed…_ she thought as she rolled her eyes.

"Why? What does yo' kind do?"

"Huh?" Zelinda stared at him, surprised that he showed some interest in anything having to do with her race. "Well… we sometimes exchange our most valuable possessions, like family heirlooms or jewelry…"

She paused suddenly, an idea forming in her head. "Wait here," she said as she climbed out from under the sheets, ignoring the cold morning air as she walked to a nearby bookshelf. Raj watched her, a puzzled expression on his face, as she reached towards a high shelf and pulled out a small jewelry box carved out of dark wood. She climbed back onto the bed and, with the box on her lap, began to sift through the contents. Her face brightened when she found what she was looking for.

"Here they are!" she exclaimed, displaying her find in the palm of her open hand. It was a pair of silver hoop earrings, small and fragile-looking, with intricate elvish designs carved into them. Hanging from each one was a small dark red gem in the shape of a teardrop.

"Dat be bloodstone?" Raj asked, staring at her hand. The night elf nodded. "Dey look real classy, mon."

"They belonged to my mother," she said, looking at them with a small smile. She then turned her gaze up at Raj. "Come here."

"Eh?" Raj gave her a nervous look, but before he could move she had leaned forward with one earring ready in her fingers.

"Are your ears pierced?" she asked, using her other hand to gingerly search his left ear for any holes.

"Nope, neva got 'em pierced."

She looked hesitantly at him. "Um… is it alright if I…"

He slowly nodded. "Go right ahead."

She brought the earring up to his ear, and his eyebrow twitched as she pierced the skin, drawing only a small drop of blood. The pain faded almost as quickly as it came, however, and when she withdrew her hands he reached up with his left one and felt where the small hoop now hung from his ear. When he looked back at her, she was doing the same to her left ear with the other earring. Her ears were pierced, about a third of the way up their length, but he didn't notice before since she never wore jewelry. Never, that is, until now.

"There," she said, bringing her hands away and tossing her hair over her shoulder. The silver sparkled in the morning light, and the red gem stood out vividly against the dark emerald green shade of her hair. She looked back up at Raj and flashed him a smile that made the blood rush to his face.

"Now you're my mate as well. How's _that_ for a ritual?" she said, grinning playfully at him.

Raj was speechless. She looked so ethereal in the dim morning light, wearing nothing but that silver hoop and a foxy smile, that he wondered how he ever got so lucky as to end up with her. He was pretty sure nothing in the world could have possibly ruined that moment.

Unfortunately, that "nothing" was almost three feet tall, had dark amethyst hair, and just happened to be standing in the doorway.

"There you are, Aunt Zellie!"

"Gah!" Zelinda nearly shrieked, and in an instant she was under the covers with Raj again, clutching the sheets close to her chest. "Why are you up this early? Don't kids like to sleep in anymore?"

Kylanni giggled as she ran up to the two and jumped on the bed, making Zelinda feel even more uncomfortable. "I wanna play with you and Raj!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Raj couldn't help but give the young night elf an evil grin. "I tink ya be a lil' young ta play what we-"

"RAJ!" she hollered, resisting the urge to curse in front of her niece.

Kylanni turned to face the door. "Mama, I found her! She's in here!"

_Don't call your mother in here!_ she thought frantically, but before she could utter a word of protest, Filianna was in the doorway, blushing a little despite the smirk on her face.

"Hello, you two. Did you sleep well last night?" she teased.

Completely mortified, Zelinda turned a vibrant shade of purple, while Raj just gave Filianna a huge grin. The whole situation was priceless, and it was taking him most of his willpower not to burst out laughing.

"C'mon Kylanni, let's leave them alone for a while," Filianna beckoned to her daughter. The young girl bounced off the bed and ran up to her mother.

"Does this mean I can have my room back?"

Filianna laughed. "We'll see, okay? Let's go down and eat breakfast."

After they left the room, Zelinda let loose a string of expletives that she had been holding back, while Raj laughed until he was nearly out of breath.

"No one else thinks this is funny, Raj!" she spat, giving him an evil stare.

"On da contrary…" he smirked, still recovering from laughing, "Yo' da only one who _doesn'_ tink so."

Unable to come up with a response, she did the next best thing; she pouted at him. This, of course, only made him grin even wider.

"C'mon, let get dressed," he said, finding her bra and playfully throwing it at her still-pouting face. She stuck her tongue out at him as she proceeded to collect the rest of her clothes, which, she was embarrassed to discover, were scattered all over the room. As she reached for her dress, she realized she didn't have to wear the troublesome thing anymore, since her normal clothes were washed and mended. Come to think of it, she also needed to repair her armor, and she was running low on arrows and other supplies. She smiled as an idea formed in her head. _Mavralyn _does_ owe me a favor…_

"I think I'm going to go to Darkshore today."

"Eh?" Raj replied, still fastening his belt. "What fo'?"

"I need to fix my armor and get some supplies, and I can get them cheap from a friend in Auberdine. Besides," she turned towards Raj, "I can take Kylanni with me. I don't think she's ever been outside of Moonglade."

"Will yo' sista let 'er go?"

"I don't think she'll mind me taking her daughter off her hands for a day." She tossed the dress over her head and started fastening the buttons on her back while she walked towards the doorway. "I'll ask her right now," she said, giving him one last smile before heading down the stairs.

* * *

As expected, Filianna gladly let Kylanni go with her, and even saw them off with Raj as they were mounting the hippogryph. Zelinda climbed on first, clad in her normal, less-feminine clothes and leather armor, with her bow strapped to her back. She reached out to lift Kylanni up, who looked somewhat anxious and approached hesitantly at first, since she'd never ridden a hippogryph before. When she got settled in front of Zelinda, however, she seemed a little less nervous and smiled at her mother.

"Are you coming too, Mama?"

Filianna smiled. "I'm going to stay here and keep Raj company. You listen to your aunt while you're with her, and don't leave her sight, okay?"

The young elf grinned and nodded, happy enough that she was being allowed to go in the first place. A moment later the hippogryph was in the air, the sudden lurch startling Kylanni and causing her to clutch the arm that held her securely around her waist. Before she knew it they started to gain altitude, whipping past the tall canopy of branches, and the strong wind felt almost bruising against her face. When Kylanni worked up enough courage to look back, she could barely make out her mother and Raj among the other ant-like people receding quickly in the distance. When she looked down at the scenery below her, the sheer height make her squeeze her aunt's arm even tigher. Zelinda glanced down at her.

"Are you scared?"

"A little…" the young night elf replied nervously.

Zelinda smiled at her honesty. "You want to go back?"

Kylanni shook her head vigorously. "It's not _that_ scary!"

Zelinda laughed. "It's always a little scary the first time. You'll get used to it."

Sure enough, within a few hours Kylanni's anxiety had melted away into fascination, taking in the new landscape around her with such interest that it made Zelinda wonder why they hadn't done this earlier.

"It's so pretty!" Kylanni exclaimed, looking at the forests of Darkshore below her. "Do you see places like this when you travel, Aunt Zellie?"

The night elf nodded. "All the time."

"Now I know why you're always gone for so long!"

At this, Zelinda laughed heartily and ruffled her niece's hair. Then there was silence for a few moments, before Kylanni decided to speak again.

"Um… Aunt Zellie?"

"Hmm?"

"When you and Uncle Raj leave again…"

"Uncle Raj?" Zelinda asked incredulously.

"Yeah? What's wrong?"

"Well… nothing. I guess he really _is_ your uncle now, isn't he…" she said with a slight blush. "A-anyway, you were saying?"

"When you and Uncle Raj leave…" She looked nervous as she started to play absently with a lock of her purple hair. "…can you take me with you?"

"HUH?" She stared wide-eyed at the young night elf.

"I promise I won't be any trouble! I'll listen to what you tell me and I won't run off or-"

"Hold on a minute," Zelinda interrupted. "Traveling can be very dangerous. I think you're a little too young to-"

"I can take care of myself! I've been practicing every day with the bow and arrow you got me!"

Zelinda smiled warmly at her. "Have you now?"

Kylanni nodded eagerly. "If I keep practicing, will you let me go? Please?"

The night elf sighed, realizing she wasn't going to convince her niece otherwise. _Well, someone will need to watch her anyway if Filianna goes into the Emerald Dream…_

"Alright… When you get older, and if you keep practicing, we'll ask your mother if you can go with me for a couple of weeks. Deal?"

Kylanni seemed satisfied with that, and beamed up at her. "Deal!"

Zelinda laughed at the young girl's enthusiasm. "Of course, that's assuming your mother would let… you…"

She trailed off, her face losing all its mirth as she saw smoke ahead of them in the distance… in the direction of Auberdine.

"Shit…"

"Huh?" Kylanni gave her a worried look. "What is it?"

"Kylanni, I want you to stay right up next to me when we land. Understand?"

Kylanni looked even more uneasy at her aunt's stern request, but when she looked ahead of them and saw the clouds of smoke, she quickly realized why.

"Okay…" she said nervously, squeezing Zelinda's arm again as they approached the ominous dark clouds in the distance.

* * *

"What happened here?" Zelinda interrogated the hippogryph master as soon as they landed. From what she saw as they were flying into the port town, she could tell that whatever caused the destruction around her had already passed, and everyone left was trying to recover from the aftermath.

"A Horde raid came through yesterday…" the hippogryph master replied, looking a little worse for wear with her arm and legs heavily bandaged. "They apparently took two ships in Menethil and pulled into our harbor…" She paused to regain some breath, still recovering from her wounds. "They were mostly Forsaken…"

"I can see that," Zelinda replied, spotting some undead bodies strewn among the other corpses on the ground. Kylanni clung tightly onto Zelinda's hand, staring wide-eyed at one of the zombie-like creatures from where it lay dead on the ground.

"W-what is that, Aunt Zellie?"

"That's something you should run from if you ever see one. How many were there?" she asked, turning back to the hippogryph master.

Despite being in obvious pain, the night elf gave her a sarcastic look. "I lost count."

Zelinda's eyebrows furrowed as she looked around her, watching the few survivors collect the bodies of their loved ones and put out the remaining fires. She then looked down at her niece.

"Kylanni, I want you to stay in the inn, okay? I'm going to go out and try to hel-"

Kylanni shook her head and held her hand tighter. "I'm scared, I wanna stay with you."

"You don't want to see this, sweetie. I have to help bury people and-"

"I'll help too, then."

Zelinda was about to protest, but she could tell by the determined look in the young girl's eyes that she was set on going with her. _How did she get so stubborn?_ When she realized the pot was calling the kettle black, she smiled fondly and shrugged.

"Alright. Come if you want to, but I'm warning you it's not going to be pretty," Zelinda said as she walked towards a group in need of help. Despite the warning, the young night elf looked undaunted as she followed closely behind her aunt.

After a few long hours, Zelinda was exhausted from bandaging people and digging graves, but the port town was finally starting to look less like a war zone. The smoke still hung thick in the air, making the normally overcast sky look even darker and gloomier than usual, as if it were reflecting the general mood of everyone around her. She heard bits of information here and there from people she helped, as well as people coming in to the decimated town. The huge raid had gone south through the rest of Darkshore and was currently moving through Ashenvale, picking up stray Horde members and growing in size instead of shrinking. They moved quickly, as most of them had mounts, and they quickly destroyed everything in their wake. The Alliance armies were panicking, trying to stop the growing raid from advancing, but nothing seemed to be able to stand up against them. Zelinda grew more troubled with every bit of news she heard. Deciding she had done enough, she went to find Mavralyn, whom she was glad to see was still alive and kicking. While the leatherworker was fixing her armor, she heard that the last place the raid was seen was in Astranaar, the result of which was rumored to be even more devastating than Auberdine. Having heard enough bad news for the day, she then took her equally tired niece back to the inn so they could buy a room.

As they entered the inn, Zelinda opened the small purse on her belt and gave Kylanni a few pieces of silver. "Go get some food for us, okay? I'm going to get a room." She pointed to the only food vendor left, standing several meters from them, and Kylanni nodded and scampered away, clutching the silver coins protectively. Zelinda walked up to the front counter and waited for her turn to speak to the innkeeper, propping her head up with her elbows while sleep threatened to overcome her.

"Have you heard anything else about the raid?"

Zelinda looked up wearily at the two humans walking in from the docks. Apparently they had come from Menethil on the Western continent, along with many other Alliance, to help with the situation here on Kalimdor. She sighed and tried to ignore their conversation as they walked up to the counter. She was tired of hearing the same bad news over and over. It's not like the situation could get much worse anyway.

"Yeah, they aren't headed to the Barrens, like we thought. I heard this morning that they were heading north."

Zelinda's blood ran cold.

"NORTH?" She yelled, spinning around to face the startled humans. They both stared at her with bewildered looks on their faces.

"Y-yeah… they're heading north, through Felwood. I guess they're going to stop in Winterspring or…" He stopped when he noticed the night elf's eyes grew wide and her face had turned pale. "Uh… why do you ask?"

_FUCK._

"Aunt Zellie!" Kylanni called out, running up to the thunderstruck night elf with her arms full of peaches and wild ricecakes. "I bought some extras to bring back to Mama an-"

"We're leaving!" Zelinda cut her off, grabbing her arm and pulling her hastily towards the hippogryphs. She didn't want to put her niece in danger, but there was no way in hell she was going to leave her in Auberdine by herself.

"Ow! Aunt Zellie, you're hurting me!" the young elf cried, trying to keep up without tripping. When Zelinda didn't respond or loosen her grip, Kylanni resisted the urge to panic. "W-what's wrong? Why are we running?"

"I'll explain on the way there!" Zelinda snapped, weaving quickly between people on her way to the hippogryphs while silently praying to Elune that she get back in time.

* * *

Unfortunately, her worst fears were confirmed as she approached Moonglade. By now the sun was low on the horizon, but from her point of view on the hippogryph, she could still see not only thick clouds of smoke, but also tall fires were raging out of control and people below her were running around chaotically. Her heart sank at the sight. _I'm too late._

As the hippogryph landed, Zelinda quickly jumped off the creature and drew her dagger, watching the people around her run frantically in all directions. _Are they still here?_ She stood rigid, ready to fight off any approaching Forsaken, but all she saw in the chaos around her were taurens and night elves rushing as fast as they could to help people and put out the numerous fires. She remembered Raj and her sister, and a feeling of dread settled in her stomach.

"Come on Kylanni!" She yelled to her niece, who was still sitting on the hippogryph. The young night elf didn't hear her; she stared blankly at the destruction around her, not quite believing what was happening to her home. Zelinda lifted her off the creature and set her on the ground, which snapped her out of her daze.

"Where's Mama?"

"We're going to go find her, so stay close to me, okay?" Kylanni nodded numbly, and followed closely behind Zelinda as she searched frantically for Raj and Filianna among the crowds of people. She searched the ground as well, hoping to not recognize any of the bodies, when she noticed that there were also tauren corpses among the dead night elves on the blood-soaked earth. She scowled in disgust. _The bastards didn't even care about killing their own…_ She turned away from the sight and continued looking for a troll among the panicked crowds, but her search was quickly proving to be fruitless. When she couldn't find them after running around for several minutes, an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness started to take hold of her, and she felt her throat tighten as tears threatened to form in her eyes. Just as she was about to give up her search, she felt a large hand on her shoulder.

"Zel?"

She took in a sharp breath of air and spun around, feeling a huge weight lift from her chest when she saw Raj. His upper arm had a makeshift bandage wrapped tightly around it, and blood ran down one side of his face from a cut hidden somewhere beneath his thick hair, but he looked perfectly fine otherwise. Overwhelmed by the sheer joy of seeing him alive, she threw her arms around him and hugged him like she never wanted to let go, causing him to wince a little.

" 'Ey, careful now, I still be a lil' banged up, ya kno'."

"Thanks the gods!" she nearly cried, her voice muffled by his chest. She loosened her arms and looked up into his face. "I thought for sure that you and Filianna were dead!"

Guilt flashed across Raj's face, and he looked away, unable to meet Zelinda's gaze. She noticed, and for a couple seconds her heart froze in her chest.

"Where's Filia?" she asked, her voice shaking as panic started to well up inside her. When he didn't answer, she grabbed both of his tusks and forced him to look at her.

"Where the fuck is my sister?" she nearly yelled, her face mere inches from his own. Without a word, he grasped her wrists and released himself, then glanced over to where Thoran stood a few meters away. Zelinda followed his gaze, and when she saw the black tauren she practically ran up to him. Before she reached him, however, she stopped dead in her tracks.

She saw Filianna, unconscious and covered with blood, and her body went completely numb. Tawna was kneeling over her and performing a healing spell, but she could tell from the tauren's face that the outcome didn't look good. It took a few seconds before she found her voice again.

"Is she going to be okay?" Zelinda asked slowly, even though she could guess the answer. Tawna didn't reply; instead she furrowed her eyebrows as she concentrated harder on the healing spell. Without looking up, she asked her husband in Taurahe to find another druid. Thoran left quickly and without a word to search for a healer who wasn't currently helping someone else, leaving Zelinda to stand motionless and stare at her sister's pale body. She couldn't move, not even when she felt Kylanni rush past her.

"Mama!" Kylanni cried, running up to Filianna and kneeling beside her, ignoring the pool of blood that surrounded her mother's body. "Mama, wake up!" She shook her mother's shoulder in an attempt to rouse her, but Filianna's eyes didn't open. Tears started to pour down the young elf's cheeks, and she shook her shoulder a little harder. "Mama…" she sobbed, "Look at me Mama… please…" When she felt something warm on her small hands, she withdrew them and found them covered with blood. She stared wide-eyed at the angry red substance, until the tears blurred her vision and she started to sob uncontrollably.

Zelinda stood motionless as she watched her niece cry, trying to wipe the endless stream of tears away and streaking her mother's blood on her face in the process. She looked exactly like Filianna did, crying over their mother's body so many years ago, that something in her snapped right at that moment. Zelinda didn't cry back then. She did eventually, years later, but her first emotion over their deaths wasn't grief. It was an emotion that she was afraid of experiencing again, and it was the same emotion that was starting to well up inside her as she watched Kylanni sob.

"Zel?" Raj asked, approaching the night elf hesitantly. He wasn't sure what to do, but he felt as though he should at least attempt to comfort her. When she turned around, however, the look on her face made him stop dead in his tracks. She walked swiftly away from her sister's body towards Raj. He froze, afraid to breathe, as she marched past without so much as a glance towards him, as if he wasn't even there. He rarely felt as scared of someone as he did at that moment, seeing the look of pure malice and hatred in Zelinda's face. Whenever he saw that look on someone's face, he knew someone somewhere was going to die. When she passed him, he let his breath out slowly, relieved that that someone wasn't going to be him. After a moment, he turned around and watched Zelinda leave, walking with a definite purpose in mind. Raj furrowed his brow. He was getting worried about just what that purpose was.

* * *

Zelinda couldn't remember how she got to the Timbermaw Cave, but at the moment she didn't give a damn. She didn't give a damn about much of anything anymore. Her anger grew the more she saw of the havoc the Horde raid had caused, and it grew exponentially when she saw what became of the Timbermaw tribe. As she walked through their cave, she saw that the Horde didn't leave a single one alive. They had mercilessly killed the entire furbolg tribe to get to Moonglade, even the younger ones who couldn't defend themselves. Zelinda couldn't see how she could ever forgive the Horde for this, and paced blindly through the rest of the cave, searching for someone to take her rage out on.

She exited the cave into Winterspring, the snow-covered region east of Moonglade, just as the sun was setting and the sky was turning purple. The air was cold and dry, causing her breath to come out visibly in warm puffs, but she didn't notice the cold. Her mind was too busy racing with murderous thoughts as she marched aimlessly through the deep snow. The Horde had taken almost everything she ever cared about from her; her home, her parents, her sister… and why? What had they ever done to deserve being killed? She might have killed a Horde member or two in self-defense in the past, but Filianna could never kill anyone. She doubted her sister was even _capable_ of hurting someone else, regardless of race. So why? By what fucked-up reasoning were they justified in killing her and everyone else in Moonglade? Why does Kylanni have to go through the same horrible experiences she-

Her thought process was quickly cut short, when she practically came face-to-face with a troll. She came out from around a snow-covered bush and found her, kneeling on the ground and trying to make a small fire for herself. She seemed to be a shaman, using some spell to ignite the small pile of twigs. She was obviously inexperienced, judging from the fact that she was making a fire at night in a contested region, and the way she looked up and froze at the sight of a night elf standing a few meters away. They both stared, silent and frozen in shock, for several agonizingly long seconds. Then the troll recovered her motor skills and quickly drew her dagger, holding it defensively in front of her, but afraid to make the first move.

Zelinda narrowed her eyes. She wasn't a Forsaken, but that didn't matter anymore. She found someone to take out her anger on. She immediately drew her own dagger and charged, attacking with such speed and ferocity that the troll was overwhelmed, barely managing to defend herself from the elf's quick movements. After being deflected a couple of times, Zelinda finally managed to drive her dagger into the troll's shoulder. The troll cried out in pain, but had finally found her opening. She instantly reached up with her other arm and pinned the night elf in a headlock, squeezing as hard as she could. The troll quickly tried to switch her dagger into her other hand so she could finish off the struggling elf, but before she could, Zelinda had reached up with one hand under the troll's chin, the other behind her knee, and using herself as leverage, flipped the troll onto her back, sending a huge cloud of powdery snow into the air. She winced as she fell to the ground as well, but the troll had the wind violently knocked out of her and lay dazed for a couple seconds. Zelinda took the opportunity and grabbed the troll's dagger, which was lying nearby, and climbed on top of her to drive the dagger into her throat. The troll, slightly recovered, quickly grabbed Zelinda's wrist and tried to prevent the dagger from getting near her neck. Zelinda was putting all her weight into it, however, so it was only a matter of time before the troll's arms gave out.

Then Zelinda suddenly stopped. The bloodlust that had been clouding her mind suddenly dissipated, and she blinked in surprise at the object that had caught her attention. It was a beaded bracelet, hanging from one of the troll's wrists. As far as she knew, it served no purpose whatsoever. It had crude wooden beads, painted in odd colors, and had a couple of feathers attached to it. It was very poor quality and was clumsily made, as if it were created by a five-year-old. It was something that someone wore purely for sentimental reasons. Zelinda stared at it, an image of Kylanni crying flashing through her mind, and she instantly realized exactly what she was doing.

Her arms went slack, and she climbed off the troll and sat in the snow next to her, hanging her head and breathing heavily from the struggle. The troll hesitantly sat up, not sure what caused the sudden change in the night elf. Her long, fiery-orange hair was wild and disheveled, and the half-ponytail on top of her head had come loose and hung haphazardly to the side. She stared wide-eyed at Zelinda, too dumbstruck to move. When Zelinda regained her breath and looked back up, the troll gave her an odd, questioning look. Zelinda gave her a small smile and motioned to her own wrist. It took the troll a moment to understand what she meant, and glanced down at her beaded bracelet. Realizing she still held the troll's dagger, Zelinda stabbed it into the ground in front of her. She pointed to it, then pointed at the troll, and made a quick shoo-ing motion with her hand. The troll's eyes widened when she understood the gesture. Without hesitating, the troll immediately grabbed her dagger and ran out of the small clearing, without even taking a moment to look back at the night elf.

Zelinda just sat in the deep snow and watched her leave, suddenly feeling too weak to stand. It had started to snow, and for a moment she just sat there and stared at the large, cotton-like snowflakes falling softly all around her, sticking in her hair and eyelashes. She glanced around the area to find her own dagger, when she saw her amber pendant lying next to her in the snow. Apparently it had come off during the fight. She slowly picked up the crescent-shaped piece and stared at it as she held it in her palm.

_Filia…_

Tears started to fill her eyes. The intense hatred she felt earlier was gone, and the void it created was slowly being filled by a sorrow so painful, she couldn't even breathe. The tears blurred her vision until all she saw was white, and she finally broke down and started sobbing, holding her sister's pendant against her chest as tears spilled down her cheeks. When the sounds of someone approaching reached her ears, she abruptly stopped. Realizing she still didn't have her dagger, she frantically searched the blood-stained snow around her until she found it. Then she quickly scrambled to her feet, dagger ready in her hand, to face whoever it was that appeared behind her.

Raj, surprised by the threatening stance she took, instinctively took out his daggers and held them defensively in front of him. They both stood frozen like that for several long seconds, staring at each other as recognition finally dawned on Zelinda.

"Raj?"

"…Ya?" he said hesitantly, refusing to lower his guard until she did. She noticed, and she instantly regretted drawing her dagger. He was obviously afraid that she would lash out at him, understandably so considering her earlier reaction. However, the thought had never even crossed her mind, not even when she had stormed away from her sister's body. She then realized that no matter how much she despised the Horde, she could never be mad at him, even if he _was_ allied with them. To her, he wasn't a part of the Horde or a troll. To her… he was just Raj.

She lowered her arm and let the dagger fall to the ground. Raj visibly relaxed, and slowly put away his own daggers. They stood like that for a while, staring at each other while the snow continued to fall silently around them. After a long moment of awkward silence, Raj finally spoke.

"Uh… 'bout yo' sista…"

Zelinda's eyes went wide. Something in his voice gave her a small shred of hope, even though she was afraid to give herself even that at this point.

"You mean… she's okay?"

"Well, she only be okay in dat she ain' dead yet. She still be unconscious, but…"

Zelinda didn't hear the rest. Her eyes watered up again, and her heart felt like it had jumped into her throat. Unable to hold back any longer, she ran towards Raj and threw her arms around him, startling him in mid-sentence as she sobbed violently into his chest.

" 'Ey, I tought dat was good news, mon…" he said as he stared down at her. She squeezed him tighter, and mumbled something incoherent. "Watchu say?"

"I almost… did something… horrible…" she managed to say between sobs.

Raj stared down at the night elf, shaking violently as she wept into his chest, and his heart went out to her. He wrapped his arms tightly around her small trembling body, and just stood silently as he watched snowflakes collect in her vivid, dark green hair. It hurt him to see her in so much pain, and he would've done absolutely anything at that moment to make her smile again… but he had no idea what he could do to make her feel better.

So he just stood there, holding her like she was the most precious thing in the world, and let her cry until her tears stopped flowing.

* * *

Author's notes, part 2: …I couldn't do it. I couldn't kill her off. She's just too darn sweet. Sorry for the false pretense. Please don't flame me.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's notes: SHEEEESH! Heaven forbid I should try to throw in a plot twist! I received _plenty_ of emails about that last chapter… Hoooo boy. I thought that the whole "forsaken raid" thing was going to be kind of obvious, but apparently I'm not that good at subtlety. I apologize. :( I'm also not used to writing angst-y stuff, or at least it doesn't come naturally to me like it does others, so I don't think I'll make another chapter quite as angst-y as that one. I'll stick with what comes naturally for me… which is apparently sappy romantic comedy fluff. sigh Oh well. :) Anyway, I'm sorry about not getting this chapter out for over two months. Everything just kind of came down on me over the past several weeks. I'm actually thinking of quitting my job as least until I graduate, since apparently they have selective hearing and don't hear the "no" in "no more than 20 hours a week." But I digress. You don't want to hear about my life. You're probably more interested in this chapter. At least a little more interested. So here it is:) I kind of went off on a weird tangent… I probably should have put a chapter between this one and the previous one… oh well. Anyway, enjoy! I'll try not to be so late next time!

* * *

"Thanks for the ride Thoran," Zelinda said as she carefully slid down the kodo's side into Raj's arms.

Thoran merely shrugged from where he sat on his mount, before tossing down an oversized cloak to the night elf. "You sure about this?" he asked in his usual deep voice.

Zelinda flashed him a confident smile… or at least she attempted to. "I'm pretty sure."

Thoran shook his head slowly in disbelief. "Crazy elf." He then looked over at Raj.

"You sure this is far enough?"

"Ya mon, we can walk from 'ere." He grinned and gave him a slight wave as a show of gratitude, before turning towards Zelinda.

"Tink ya can stand wearin' dat fo' a few hours?"

Zelinda grimaced as she put on the heavy woolen cloak, which was so long that the fabric pooled around her feet on the ground. She could only assume it was Tawna's from when she was younger. She looked silly wearing something so big, and the stifling heat made it almost unbearable to wear. She wondered how she was supposed to look inconspicuous wearing something like this in Durotar.

"I'll live," she replied as she covered her head with the oversized hood, her long ears sticking out from the sides while her face was mostly covered from view. At least she might pass as a troll this way. She then looked down at Kali, who had been following them alongside the kodo. She smiled when she saw that despite looking a little tired, the ebony panther seemed no worse for wear. The events at Moonglade left her a little banged up, and Zelinda was worried she wouldn't be able to make it this far. It was a good thing she recovered, because Zelinda certainly wasn't going to make this trip without her. A hunter without her pet was about as effective as a cat without its claws, and if she ever needed her claws, now was definitely that time. She pulled some jerky from her pack and rewarded Kali for her stamina, before looking back up at Thoran.

"Thanks for watching over Filia and Kylanni," she said with a grateful smile.

The tauren nodded shyly, and turned his kodo around to go back the way he came before looking back over his shoulder.

"Last chance…"

Zelinda grinned and made a shoo-ing motion with her hand. "Hurry up and go, before I change my mind!"

Thoran gave a low chuckle and waved back at them over his shoulder as he rode off.

The three watched him leave for a moment before turning and heading off in the opposite direction. They walked in silence for most of the trip, leaving Zelinda to contemplate her thoughts, which mostly consisted of her questioning whether she really did have a temporary lapse in sanity. She wouldn't be surprised, considering how she was becoming a nervous wreck over her sister. Filianna was still unconscious, and every day that she didn't wake up, Zelinda grew more restless and worried. Nothing more could be done for her sister, and all that was left for her to do was to wait until Filianna woke up. She couldn't even go out and help the wounded or help repair the few houses still standing, since those tasks were mostly done. The only thing that seemed to keep her somewhat sane was when her niece came by to visit. Kylanni was currently staying with Alathea, but Thoran and Tawna were taking care of Filianna, so Kylanni was a frequent visitor. As much as she wanted to stay with her sister until she regained consciousness, she knew she was not helping at all by worrying until her hair turned white or until she drove everyone completely nuts, the latter of which seemed to be nearly accomplished. She needed to get her mind off of it, so that's when she decided to go with Raj.

Raj had heard from offhand sources that the Horde had recently suffered from a raid as well in the Barrens and in Durotar, and that it had come dangerously close to Sen'jin Village. Realizing he hadn't seen his family in a while, and now concerned about their welfare, he decided he needed to go check up on them as soon as possible. Plus, he was pretty sure he wasn't welcome at Moonglade anymore, if he was welcome at all in the first place. If the druids weren't hesitant about letting outsiders come in before, they certainly were now. Therefore, he figured it was a good reason to leave before they kicked him out. Meanwhile, Zelinda figured she needed to occupy herself with something, _anything_, to keep from snapping mentally, so when Raj asked if she wanted to come she readily agreed. Part of her doubted whether this was the best time to go into Horde territory, but the relations between the two factions might not ever improve at this point. In fact, they would probably worsen, so now was as good a time as any. However, now that she was walking through the hot barren lands of Durotar, with the sun low in the sky and the heavy cloak dragging along the dusty red ground, she was starting to doubt that this was such a good idea after all.

"I can't believe I'm doing this…"

Raj smirked at her as he slapped her playfully on the back. "Watchu worryin' 'bout?" he said, even though he felt just as anxious and unsure about how this encounter would turn out as she did. "We 'ave ta do dis sometime, ya kno'."

Zelinda sighed. True, she had to make this trip eventually. That still didn't make it any easier.

"I thought we were trying to keep our relationship a secret."

Raj gave her an odd look. "From my own motha?"

"Why not?" she responded with a pout. Raj rolled his eyes.

"She gonna find out sometime…"

"Well, why does that 'sometime' have to be now? Why can't we wait, oh, I don't know, a few years?"

"Sho', why not?" Raj responded in a sarcastic tone. "We'll jus' let 'er find out when I bring 'er grandkids ta visit, and half o' dem be night elves. Ya, dat'll go over _real_ well." He blinked when he realized Zelinda wasn't walking next to him, and looked back to find she had stopped dead in her tracks.

"Summin' wrong?"

"N-no, nothing…" she said vacantly, her hood hiding the faint blush spreading across her cheeks. Raj just shrugged as she caught up with him, and they both continued on in silence, Zelinda being too absorbed in her thoughts to talk.

Grandkids? She had never considered having children, at least not before today. She loved Kylanni as if she were her own daughter, and therefore never really had the desire to have any of her own. She never saw herself as the motherly-type anyway. Hell, she was surprised Kylanni wasn't swearing like a sailor by now because of her. However, Raj obviously expected to become a father eventually, and the thought of him wanting her to have his children gave her an odd, warm feeling in her chest. Then something occurred to her, and she finally broke the silence.

"Raj?"

"Ya?"

"Um… is it even possible for us to have children?"

Not expecting a question like that, he looked down and stared at her for a couple seconds. "Well… I tink so…" he said, scratching the back of his head.

"So you've heard of half-breeds with a troll and a night elf as parents?"

Raj looked ahead and continued walking for a moment before finally answering. "I met one befo'."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

"Ya mon, when I was small. Dere was dis one boy dat almos' no one wanted ta play with. He was smaller dan us, an' had a weird skin color."

Zelinda looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think the Horde would even tolerate the existence of a half-breed."

"He neva admitted ta bein' a half-breed, and da adults didn' dare talk 'bout it… a'least not in front o' us kids. But we all knew anyway. Kids be pretty smart, ya kno'."

He then pointed towards a couple of small huts partially hidden in the hills in front of them. "We almos' dere, mon."

"Really?" Zelinda lifted her hood a little to get a better view. There were two small huts, as well as a small cave-like entrance in the side of the cliff. She was relieved that it was north of Sen'jin village, and not right in the middle of it. She didn't find the prospect of being chased around Durotar by an angry mob of trolls and orcs too appealing, and it was less likely to happen on the outskirts of the village.

"So, does you mother live there alone?"

Raj shook his head. "My siblings be livin' dere too."

"Oh?" Zelinda asked, her curiosity piqued. This was the first time Raj told her anything about his family, besides his mother. "You have a brother and sister?"

"I be da oldest o' five."

Zelinda nearly tripped on her cloak. "FIVE?"

Raj raised and eyebrow. "Ya, so?"

"Sorry, it's just… I would've gone crazy if I had four younger siblings!"

Raj laughed at this. "Ma went crazy a LONG time ago."

"What are their names?"

"I 'ave two brothas, Sor'ja and Rek'kar, and two sistas, Takki and Vaji. Vaji be da youngest. Dere be twelve years between us."

"And your mother?"

"My motha's name be Tal'ika."

"Tal'ika…" she said slowly, trying to get used to the foreign sound. Raj grinned.

"Ya gettin' da hang of it."

Zelinda gave a weary sigh. This new language was proving to be rather difficult. She pretty much forgot the few Orcish words Raj had taught her, which didn't matter too much since she was planning on saying as little as possible anyway.

"Dat be Sor'ja right dere," Raj said, letting out a sharp whistle to catch his brother's attention. This snapped Zelinda from her thoughts, and a sudden wave of nervousness overcame her. She almost didn't realize that they had just about arrived at their destination, and she resisted the urge to run away at the sight of his younger brother. He was near one of the huts trying to stretch some animal hides, apparently working towards becoming a leatherworker, when Raj's whistle made his head turn sharply. When recognition set in, he grinned widely and ran over to where they stood.

" 'Ey dere! 'Bout time ya came back! Where ya been?"

"Around… heard ya been havin' raids."

Sor'ja shrugged. "We be fine, mon. But Ma's kinda ticked ya haven' come home fo' so long."

Raj cringed visibly. "Great…"

Zelinda, who had been hiding behind Raj, peeked around to get a closer look at Sor'ja while the two conversed. He seemed to be about eighteen, not quite as tall as an adult troll, but still taller than herself. He seemed to have the same carefree disposition as Raj, and even looked very similar to him, especially with his short, wild hair, except his was bluish black and he let a lock grow out at the base of his neck into a ponytail. As she examined him from behind Raj, Sor'ja finally noticed her presence.

"Who's dat?" he asked, looking skeptically at the hooded figure. This person looked shady to him, especially when, instead of responding, the figure quickly shied away behind his brother again.

"Dis be a friend o' mine…" Raj replied hesitantly. He would rather reveal her identity when they weren't out in the open, where someone else might notice. Sor'ja just shrugged; if this was a friend of Raj's, he couldn't complain.

"Uh, everyone else 'ere?"

Sor'ja returned his attention to his brother. "Ya, everyone be 'ere, even Naruul."

_Shit._

"Naruul be 'ere too? I haven' seen 'er in months!" He grinned widely, despite the sinking feeling in his stomach. He was ready to tell his family about Zelinda, but he wasn't ready to tell friends of the family. Plus, he was pretty sure Naruul wouldn't be happy at all about a night elf being his mate. _Well, can' do anyting 'bout it now._

When the two trolls started heading towards the cave-like entrance, Zelinda motioned for Kali to stay outside. The large cat had become so used to the presence of Horde that she was completely apathetic towards Sor'ja, for which Zelinda was extremely grateful. As they went inside, Zelinda pulled the hood down to cover more of her face, while Kali stretched out casually near the doorway and promptly fell asleep.

The room was dim, with the small hearth in one corner being the only source of light, but the night elf's eyes adjusted easily to the darkness. It was bigger than she expected, but was still barely big enough to accommodate everyone in it.

"Big brotha!" yelled three young trolls simultaneously. This was his only warning before they mobbed him.

"Ey! Ya miss me?" he said, laughing as they hovered excitedly around him, with Zelinda looking on in fascination. It was no wonder he was good with children; he _had_ to be with so many younger siblings.

"Didja get us anyting?" asked the youngest, who was jumping excitedly while clinging on his arm.

Raj grinned. "What if I didn'?"

The young troll pouted, making Raj laugh. "Jus' kiddin' Vaji. 'Ere ya go." He took out a round, fuzzy pink fruit from his pack and handed it to her. Her little nose scrunched up in confusion.

"What's dis?"

"It be called a peach. Got a sack o' dem fo' ya." As Vaji took a small bite of the fruit, Raj looked over at the tall orc woman standing near the fire and waved.

" 'Ey Naruul, how ya doin'?"

She gave him a toothy grin, her small tusks barely peeking out from her thin lips. "I've been great, since you haven't been around to pester me! Where have you been anyway?" she asked, now glancing curiously at the hooded figure behind him.

"Dis is good!" Vaji exclaimed as she beamed up at Raj. She then turned towards her mother. "Ma, ya gotta try dis 'peach' thing!"

When Raj looked up at Tal'ika, his grin faded. He knew she was pissed by the way she was sitting, straight as a board and with her arms crossed. Before he could say anything, she stood up, stormed over to Raj and whapped him on the side of the head.

"OW! Watchu do dat fo'!"

"Do ya 'ave any idea how worried I was fo' da past few weeks? We haven' heard from ya at all since what happened at Booty Bay! No visit, no letter, _nothin_'! I thought ya was dead, ya thoughtless ungrateful son!" As she continued to yell and occasionally whap him on the head, Zelinda watched in fascinated horror at the troll's fury. Despite her being a little shorter than the night elf, Tal'ika had no problem intimidating everyone in the room. She looked especially scary with her huge mane of blue-black hair, part of which stuck out wildly in a series of mohawks while the rest was put into thick braids. _Great. So that's my mother-in-law._ She could now more easily imagine the troll's reaction when she found out she was a night elf, and she once again had to repress the strong urge to run out of there.

Naruul, in the meantime, was trying not to laugh at the scene they were making. "You had that coming, you know. You had us all worried!"

"If ya so worried, den make 'er stop befo' she kills me!" he yelled as he cringed away from his mother. Tal'ika finally relented, but only because something shiny caught her eye.

"What's dis?" she asked, tugging his ear down to her eye level and making Raj wince.

"Ow! Not so hard!"

"When didja get yo' ear pierced?" she asked, looking at the small silver hoop.

"Uh… a few days ago?" he said, wondering if she was going to inquire further about it.

"Well, it's 'bout time! What kinda example ya tink ya settin' fo' yo' brothas, not getting' dem pierced fo' so long? Rek'kar doesn' even want 'em pierced!"

Since Zelinda was becoming more intimidated the more she watched Tal'ika, she diverted her attention to the three young trolls next to her. The youngest, Vaji, was munching happily on her peach, oblivious to her mother's ranting. She seemed to be about ten years old, compared to a human child. She had dark blood red hair like Raj's, which was pulled up into a ponytail, creating a big tuft that stuck out wildly on the top of her head. The older sister, Takki, seemed to be about thirteen and had long bluish-black hair like her mother, part of which she put into a high ponytail while the rest hung past her shoulders. She seemed to have some of her mother's temperament as well, since she appeared to be scolding Vaji for eating too many peaches. Rek'kar also had dark blue hair, and seemed to be about fifteen years old. He looked like a younger version of Sor'ja, but seemed very reserved and shy compared to his siblings. Zelinda smiled to herself. _They all seem nice…_

"Stop eatin' 'em all, Vaji!" Takki finally took the sack from her and tried taking the peach in her hand, so Vaji retaliated by stuffing the entire thing in her mouth. Zelinda snickered, which caught the attention of all three children. She abruptly stopped.

_Oh no._

"Whuff diff, bih bruffa?"

Vaji's question, though muffled, caught the attention of everyone else in the room.

"Ya, who's yo' friend? He be real quiet…" Takki said as she leaned in to get a closer look. Zelinda quickly lowered her head to keep her face hidden from view, but by now everyone's eyes were on her, even Tal'ika's.

"Uh…" Raj started, not quite sure how to begin. "…He be a 'she,' Takki."

"Yo' a _girl_?" Rek'kar exclaimed, surprised out of his usual silence. "Ya be really tall!"

"And ya 'ave long ears fo' a girl," Sor'ja said, raising an eyebrow. "Why she bein' so shy? She yo' mate o' what?"

He was mostly joking when he said it, but when the only response from Raj or Zelinda was an awkward silence (though for Zelinda it was due to not understanding the question), Sor'ja's eyes grew wide.

"Wait… really?"

Raj laughed nervously. "…Ya mon."

Naruul looked incredulously at Raj. "You actually chose a mate? YOU?"

Tal'ika grinned widely, her foul mood instantly dissipating with that news. "Dat why ya been gone fo' so long? 'Cuz ya finally settled down?" She then gave her son a huge, heartfelt hug. "I'll neva get angry at ya again!"

Raj smiled nervously. _I'll give ya two minutes_.

Tal'ika then turned towards Zelinda. "Sorry ya had ta see dat," she said sheepishly. "I be Raj's motha, Tal'ika. What's yo' name?"

"Uh, Ma…" Raj cut in. "She, uh… can' speak Orcish."

Tal'ika gave him a skeptical look. "Really? Ya picked an odd one, didn' ya?" She repeated her question in Troll, but again got no answer.

"Um, Ma…" Raj started, hesitant about breaking the news to her. He didn't have to, however, because at that moment Vaji happened to get a glimpse of Zelinda's face under the oversized hood.

"Wow, ya 'ave pretty eyes! How ya get 'em ta glow like dat?"

Zelinda froze. She didn't understand any of what Vaji said, but she didn't have to. The deathly silence that suddenly filled the room was enough.

_Well, shit… No turning back now._

With all the courage she could muster, Zelinda lifted her arms and pulled the hood back, exposing her emerald hair, lavender skin, and bright silvery eyes to the room. The three young trolls stared at her in awe, obviously never having seen a night elf before. Naruul looked completely thunderstruck, and Sor'ja looked downright scared. Not scared of _her_, however; he was looking fearfully at his mother. When Zelinda reluctantly looked at Tal'ika, she gulped. The troll's fists were clenched tightly at her sides, and the look on her face would have impressed Archimonde himself. She looked like she was about to unleash some indescribably horrific fury on someone, and Zelinda was sure that someone was going to be her.

So imagine her surprise when the troll turned around and lashed out on her eldest son, beating him repeatedly about the head and shoulders while screaming obscenities that probably would have humbled Zelinda if she understood them. They had to be pretty good, judging by the way Takki and Rek'kar readily covered Vaji's ears, as if this were a common routine for the both of them. When Naruul snapped out of her initial shock, her face twisted in anger and she joined Tal'ika in her tongue-lashing.

"I didn't think you would ever betray the Horde like this!" the orc hollered at the cowering troll.

"I ain' betrayin' no one!" Raj shot back indignantly.

"Then what about THAT?" she retorted, jabbing a finger in Zelinda's direction. Raj took a little longer this time to come up with a response.

"She… ain' like otha night elves…" he said meekly as he scratched the back of his head, unable to come up with anything better to say.

"Well, obviously not! She's got to be completely fucking nuts to agree to something like this!" she snapped, her voice reaching a pitch to rival Tal'ika's.

"Um…" Zelinda started, daring to get their attention so they wouldn't kill the poor troll. At the sound of the night elf's voice, Naruul turned towards her and shot her a death glare. Zelinda flinched, but didn't avert her eyes. She felt intense hatred behind the orc's gaze, as well as another unreadable emotion… she wondered if it was jealousy. They stared each other down for a few long seconds, before Naruul huffed and turned to grab her axe, muttering angrily to herself.

"Where ya goin'?" Raj asked as she strapped her weapon to her back.

"Away from here! I am _not_ going to be caught associating with the Alliance!" She gave Raj one last glare, then she stormed past Zelinda and out the door, tossing her long black ponytail over her shoulder so it hit the night elf right in the face as she passed by.

When Naruul was out of sight, Zelinda made a face and stuck out her tongue in the orc's direction, making Vaji and Takki giggle.

"I like her, Ma!"

Tal'ika shot Takki a glare, making her and Vaji's giggling stop instantly.

"Everyone, out!" Tal'ika ordered, motioning to her four youngest children. The three youngest scampered out past Zelinda, followed by Sor'ja, who gave the night elf a nervous, 'sucks to be you' kind of look as he walked out. Turning her attention back to Zelinda, Tal'ika walked right up to the night elf, stopping at arm's length away, and glared menacingly up at her, as if she were sizing her up. Zelinda just stared pensively down at her, afraid to breathe lest it provoke her to strike out at her like she did her son.

"What's yo' name, elf?" Tal'ika asked in Common, surprising Zelinda a little. She had a heavy island accent, much like Raj's.

"…Zelinda."

"Zelinda…" Tal'ika repeated, her eyes narrowing as she crossed her arms. They stood in complete silence for a few moments, before the troll spoke again.

"Dis be jus' a fling, right?"

Zelinda blinked, taken aback by the comment. Then her eyebrow twitched in anger. "It most certainly is NOT!" she snapped, her intimidation dissipating almost instantly.

"Ya still loyal to da Alliance?"

"So what if I am?" She put her hands on her hips and glowered at the troll.

"Den dis can' be anyting mo' dan a fling! Ya tink anyone on eitha side approve o' summin' like dis?"

"I don't give a flying fuck what everyone else thinks!" she shot back, giving the troll a look that said she was definitely in that 'everyone' category. Raj stared wide-eyed at Zelinda, surprised by her sudden boldness with his mother. Then again, this _was_ Zelinda, so it wasn't really that surprising after all.

Tal'ika's glare intensified. "In dat case, ya askin' fo' mo' trouble dan ya can handle." She then turned briskly away, having had enough of the stubborn elf, and sat back down in her chair. " 'Sides, we already got mo' trouble than we need without you Alliance pickin' on us."

Raj raised and eyebrow. "Dat so?"

She sighed wearily. "Ya mon. Wit dis war agains' da Alliance, we be puttin' less effort into fightin' other threats. Da Kolkar tribe southwest of Sen'jin be takin' advantage o' being ignored. We been attacked by dem 'bout five time in da pas' month." She started playing idly with one of her sharp tusks, a nervous habit of hers. "Den dere was dat Scourge raid jus' recently…"

"Da Scourge?" Raj asked quizzically. "Dey came through 'ere?"

"Ya, but don' worry mon, only a few came 'ere through da Barrens, an' we stopped dem undead bastards befo' dey did too much damage." She shivered a little in recollection. She hated the undead; they had always creeped her out. Even the Forsaken made her a little uncomfortable. "Dey came into da Barrens from Ashenvale 'bout a week ago-"

"Ashenvale!" said Raj and Zelinda simultaneously.

Tal'ika stared blankly at the two. "Ya, Ashenvale."

" 'Bout a week ago?" Raj repeated.

"Ya mon."

_It couldn't be the same raid…_

"You mean the Forsaken, right?" Zelinda asked. There was a long, awkward silence as Tal'ika stared incredulously at her.

"No, da Scourge. I heard da Alliance had real trouble with 'em," she said smugly at Zelinda, "but we Horde be havin' no problem defendin' ourselves."

There was another long silence. Zelinda and Raj was rendered completely speechless, their eyes wide in shock. Tal'ika gave the elf a huge grin.

"Ya Alliance can' tell da diffrence, can ya?"

"Well, of COURSE not!" Zelinda nearly shrieked. "If a huge mob of undead are trying to kill us, we don't bother tapping one of them on the shoulder and asking them which side of their own stupid little civil war they're on! And even IF someone was that stupid, they were probably disembowled before they got an answer! Wait a minute…" She turned on Raj. "Why didn't _you_ recognize them?"

"I got knocked out early on, 'member?" he said defensively, pointing at where his head wound was. "By time I came to, dey be mostly gone. 'Sides, dey ain' easy ta tell apart. Sorry mon," he shrugged.

Zelinda gave a defeated sigh. _Well, this does make perfect sense… _she thought to herself. With the aggressions between the two factions flaring up, the Alliance on the eastern continent probably decreased their efforts towards fighting off the Scourge in Lordaeron. They could have easily taken the opportunity to strike out at both factions while they were focused on fighting each other. That explained why they didn't discriminate between Alliance and Horde. And since the Alliance just assumed outright that they were Forsaken, it further served their purpose by increasing their hatred for the Horde and averting their attention from other threats. Whether it was their intent or not, this raid added fuel to the fire and worsened the conflict between the two factions. The night elf made a distasteful sound with her tongue. She hated to admit it, but sometimes the Alliance really _was_ as dumb as…

" 'Bout as bright as a herd of kodo, ya Alliance be," Tal'ika said, her smug grin never fading.

Zelinda glared at the troll, despite the fact that her comment mirrored her thoughts exactly. "Excuse me?" she growled, clenching her fists and resisting the urge to knock that smirk off her face. _Now I know where he gets that irritating grin from._

"Ya heard me… ya can' be deaf with dem silly-lookin' ears…" Tal'ika replied coolly.

Zelinda's patience finally ran out. The night elf spat some loud insult in Darnassian, thus provoking Tal'ika to stand and shout back at her in Troll. This escalated and continued for a couple of minutes, both women making wild gestures and yelling obscenities at each other that the other couldn't understand, while Raj stood silently nearby, thinking how ridiculous the two looked. Eventually, when Zelinda exhausted her extensive library of insults, many of them twice, she stormed out of the room with a huff.

"Where ya goin'?" Raj asked for the second time that day.

"Outside!" the night elf snapped as she stormed through the doorway and out of their sight.

Raj let out a heavy sigh. "Well, dat be obvious."

* * *

Kali had gotten so used to Zelinda's impetuous nature, that she didn't even stir when the night elf started shouting, or when she stormed past her and out into the cool night air. The sun had disappeared far below the horizon, and the stars were starting to appear in the crystal clear sky overhead. Still fuming, Zelinda sat on a flat rock near the entrance and crossed her arms. "I can't believe I decided to come here!" she muttered angrily under her breath. She was about to continue her ranting, but stopped abruptly when she noticed that she sat right next to someone. She looked over at Takki, who was sitting a few inches away, a half-eaten peach in her hand, and a big grin on her face.

"Dat sound like a pretty big fight in dere," she said as she took another bite of her fruit. When the night elf just stared at her, she continued. "Don' worry 'bout Ma. She seem scary now, but she'll pro'lly be warmin' up to ya real quick. 'Sides, ya be family now, right?" She beamed at Zelinda, but the night elf was still staring at her, looking a little confused.

The young troll's smile fell. "Ya can' understand me, huh?" The night elf tilted her head in confusion, while the troll's brow furrowed in thought. She was going to get around this language barrier, one way or another.

"What's yo' name?" she asked. When she didn't get a response, she pointed to her face. "Takki…" she said slowly, before pointing to Zelinda. The night elf caught on immediately.

"Zelinda," she said, pointing to her own face respectively.

"Zelinda…" Takki repeated, trying to form the syllables and finding it difficult. "Dat be hard ta remember. How 'bout I call ya Zel? Dat okay, mon?" She pointed at the night elf again. "Zel?"

Zelinda gave her a huge grin, remembering when someone else started using that nickname. She didn't mind it nearly as much as she used to. She nodded at Takki. "Zel…" she repeated, pointing to herself and smiling.

* * *

Raj crossed his arms as he stared at his mother. "Dat went well," he said sarcastically.

Tal'ika spun around and glared at him. "Whaddya see in dat elf, anyway? She be da mos' stubborn, loud-mouthed, hot-tempered girl I eva met!"

At that, Raj couldn't help but smirk. "Guess what dey say be true… Ya really _do_ pick a girl jus' like ya motha…"

"WATCHU SAY?"

"Jus' kiddin', mon!" he said, throwing his hands up in defense. "Though ya gotta admit…" His tone turned serious as he sat down and crossed his arms. "Ya didn' help da situation any."

Tal'ika stared thoughtfully at her son for a few long moments. "…Ya actually serious 'bout dis, huh?"

"Ya mon."

Tal'ika was silent for a long time before she spoke again.

"So… Ya choose her over yo' loyalty to da Horde?"

Raj rolled his eyes. "Dammit, why does everyone tink I be turnin' my back on da Horde? I still be jus' as loyal to 'em as I always been!"

"It don' work dat way, Raj!" Tal'ika nearly yelled. When she saw him cringe, she sighed and softened her voice. "Look son… Ya can' 'ave both. Ya eitha on one side or the other. If ya still be loyal to Thrall, ya can' have her as a mate without puttin' dat loyalty into question."

Raj stared out the doorway as he silently listened to his mother's words. After a long pause, he finally spoke. "Watchu say makes perfect sense… An' my feelin's towards da Horde still be da same as befo'. But…" He stared at Zelinda from where she sat outside the door, laughing with Takki, barely making out her silhouette in the darkness. "I tried convincin' myself I didn' love 'er, Ma…"

It hurt Tal'ika to see the torn look on his face, so she walked over and stood next to him, stroking his hair and brushing the bangs from his eyes. "Some day, ya gonna 'ave ta choose between her an' da Horde. Ya kno' dat, right?"

Raj didn't move or respond; he just sat there and let Tal'ika mess with his hair as he watched the night elf outside. After a long moment, he let out a sigh and waved her hand off. "I'll worry 'bout it when dat day comes."

Tal'ika smirked at his stubbornness. "Den let's hope dat day neva comes."

He grinned up at her. "In da meantime, try ta get along wit 'er?"

Tal'ika's smile faded. "Fine… guess I 'ave no choice, eh?"

Raj laughed as he stood and stretched his shoulders. "Don' sound _too_ excited now. So, where we sleepin'?"

"Ya can 'ave my hut… I be sleepin' wit Takki and Vaji in 'ere. I'll go clean it out."

"I got it, don' worry 'bout it," he said as he grabbed a couple of blankets from the corner near the doorway.

Raj walked out into the cold night air, where he saw that Takki and Sor'ja were keeping Zelinda company, while Rek'kar was watching Vaji poke Kali with a stick.

" 'Ey dere!"

"Hello!" Zelinda beamed proudly at him. It took him a moment to realize she said it in Orcish.

" 'Ey, pretty good… So dey been teachin' ya?"

"Yeah, your sister's a better teacher than you!" she teased, sticking her tongue out playfully. "They also taught me some Troll." She proved it by saying 'hello' again.

Raj whistled in awe. "Ya pick dis stuff up quick, huh? What else dey teach ya?"

"A couple of words…" she said shyly. She pointed to herself and said the Orcish word for 'night elf'.

He nodded. "Good mon. So if yo' a night elf, what am I?" he said, wondering if she knew the word for 'troll.'

Instead, she grinned and pointed at him. "Mama's boy."

Sor'ja burst into laughter, and Takki tried her best to keep a straight face. But it didn't help; Raj knew who taught her the words.

"So, ya tink ya funny, eh?" he said to Takki, giving her a sideways glare. She broke down and snickered.

"Go ta bed, ya silly girl!"

Still snickering, Takki went to fetch her little sister, and the two disappeared into the small dwelling.

"I be goin' ta bed too," Sor'ja said as he stood. He then turned towards Raj. "Ya kno'… she ain' anyting like what I heard 'bout night elves…"

"Dat's 'cuz she be crazy, mon."

Sor'ja laughed, not realizing that Raj wasn't completely kidding. "Naw mon… Actually, she be kinda nice." With that, he then disappeared into one of the two small huts, followed by Rek'kar.

Zelinda smiled up at Raj. "So, what exactly did I call you? They couldn't really explain it…"

Raj let out an annoyed sigh. "I'll tell ya later. Right now, I gotta fix up dat hut."

"Is that where we're sleeping?"

"Ya mon. Ma usually sleeps dere, but she be sleepin' wit Takki and Vaji." He then motioned towards the other hut nearby. "Sor'ja and Rek'kar sleep dere, so we can' be too noisy tonight, 'kay?" he said with an evil grin.

Zelinda rolled her eyes. "We are not doing THAT while we're here!"

"Fine, suit yo'self mon," he said, still grinning. As he headed into the hut, Zelinda felt a presence directly to her left, and grew rigid.

"Thanks for letting us use your hut," she said curtly, not bothering to look up at the troll.

"Don' worry 'bout it," Tal'ika responded, her tone equally brusque. There was a long awkward silence, and Zelinda started to shift uncomfortably. It seemed Tal'ika came out to talk to her, but wasn't comfortable enough to actually start a conversation. Unfortunately, neither was Zelinda. After a couple of minutes, the night elf decided she might as well set aside her dislike for the troll woman to ask her something she had been curious about since she arrived.

"Um… can I ask a question?"

"…Sho', go ahead." Tal'ika said hesitantly.

"…Raj's father…"

Tal'ika knew the rest. "Died a few years ago."

"Oh…" Zelinda replied. She then glanced warily up at Tal'ika. "By the Alliance?"

The troll shook her head. "A loggin' accident at Warsong, in Ashenvale."

"Oh…" Zelinda said quietly.

Another long, awkward silence ensued, during which Tal'ika started playing nervously with one of her small tusks. Zelinda was starting to hope that Raj would hurry up and finish soon, when Tal'ika figured it was her turn to speak.

"Ya kno'… We 'ave an old legend…" she started, staring up into the night sky. "Dat da night elves originally be descended from trolls."

Zelinda smirked. "Yeah, I've heard that story."

"Ya 'ave?" Tal'ika's head jerked down, astonished that the night elf would know something like that.

Zelinda didn't notice her surprise. "Yeah… supposedly one of the troll tribes found the Well of Eternity, and over the millennia the Well's magic changed them into a completely different race, the Kaldorei…" At that point she noticed that Tal'ika was staring at her with wide eyes, and she smiled sheepishly.

"I have a lot of books on mythology… it was my favorite topic when I was young."

"Even troll mythology?" Tal'ika asked. Zelinda nodded.

For the first time that evening, Tal'ika smiled at her. "He's right… Ya ain' like otha night elves, all stuck-up and arrogant… I tink I'm startin' ta see why he likes ya."

With that, she finally sat down on the rock next to Zelinda, and they both silently watched the night sky. This time, the silence wasn't quite as awkward. Eventually Tal'ika glanced over, and she noticed the earring on Zelinda's ear, and then realized that it matched her son's.

"Ya really serious 'bout bein' his mate, huh?"

The night elf stared at her for a moment, then gave her a small smile. "You think I'd risk my ass coming here if I wasn't?"

Tal'ika smiled back. "Good… 'cause it only gonna get harder fo' da both o' ya."

Zelinda's smile faded. "I know…" Zelinda said solemnly, letting out a deep sigh as she stared back up at the stars. "I know."

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

Author's notes: Wow… this chapter's really short compared to the other ones… Sorry about that, but I couldn't really flesh it out without making it boring, so here ya go! I also finally managed to figure out how to put partitions in between paragraphs! WOOHOO! So now I've updated all my chapters with my new spiffy partitions. :) Sorry this took so long AGAIN… However, I am now a college graduate, so no more thesis papers or final exams for me ever again! Muahahahaha! I now have time to actually DO stuff, like read, clean the apartment… and something that I never thought I would ever do, but eventually just gave in. Yep, that's right, folks. I now have a MySpace account. (shudder) I feel so dirty… Anyway, the point is, chapters should be more frequent now since I'm out of college. Finally, thanks to everyone for the reviews, and for not losing interest in this fanfic, even though chapters haven't come out for two months at a time. You have a lot more patience than I do. :) So here it is! Enjoy!

* * *

Zelinda thought she hated the sun. This shouldn't be surprising, considering that she had spent most of her life in places where even the brightest days seemed more like a twelve-hour long twilight to other races. They weren't called night elves for nothing, after all. However, her dislike for the sun reached an entirely new level of abhorrence since she came to Durotar, especially when it happened to fall across her sleeping face the morning after she arrived.

"Gah! Damn it!" She quickly rolled onto her back and threw her arm over her eyes, cursing the bright burning ball of death in the sky. How could it be so frickin' bright when it was just on the horizon?

A sound above her caused her to move her arm from her eyes, and she blinked when she saw three blue faces grinning down at her.

"Mornin'!" Takki and Vaji said simultaneously, beaming at her. Sor'ja was also grinning, but his smile was more… mischievous. Zelinda narrowed her eyes. She knew that look.

"We heard ya las' night…" he said, his grin getting wider.

Zelinda didn't have to understand him to make an accurate guess at what he said. She sighed inwardly. Raj alone was a royal pain in the ass… She sure as hell didn't want to deal with two of him.

_Speaking of Raj_… When she looked over, she noticed he wasn't lying next to her. She didn't think he'd get up that much earlier than her. She sat up while clutching the sheets to her and gave the trolls a questioning look. "Where's Raj?"

Vaji, on hearing her brother's name, explained in length Raj's whereabouts, cheerfully oblivious to the fact that the night elf still couldn't understand her. Zelinda did, however, manage to pick up a few words, the more notable ones being 'Raj,' 'Naruul,' and 'Sen'jin.'

_Oh HELL no._

Thirty seconds later, Zelinda practically ran out of the hut, haphazardly dressed and still fastening her belt, just as an orc and a troll quickly passed by her, one of them hastily dragging the other in the direction of Sen'jin Village. The other three trolls, who were promptly kicked out of the hut while the night elf was getting dressed, stared at the couple as they left, almost as surprised as Zelinda herself.

"See you all later! We'll be back by the end of the day!" Naruul waved at everyone over her shoulder as she left. Tal'ika, who was standing in the doorway of the cliff dwelling, was the only one who waved back, which she did absently as she shook the dust out of some blankets. When Zelinda recovered and yelled out at Naruul in protest, the orc quickened her pace and pulled harder on Raj's arm.

"Hold up, mon! Can' I a'least tell 'er where I be goin'?" Raj said, wrenching his arm free. Naruul scowled at him.

"Why? It's not like she can come with us!" she said, shooting a glare in the night elf's direction. She grabbed his arm again and continued pulling him away at a quick pace. "Besides, don't you want to see your friends before you go?"

"Well, yeah…" he said hesitantly, unsure of what to do as he glanced back towards Zelinda. The elf looked like she was about to bolt after them, but she didn't move from where she stood. She knew she couldn't follow them, since she would be out in the open and someone might pass by and notice her.

Naruul looked back and laughed loudly at Zelinda's predicament. "I dare you to follow us! I'm sure you'll get a warm greeting from everyone in Sen'jin!" She guffawed even louder as she dragged Raj away, who was now giving the elf a somewhat sheepish look. Zelinda bristled at the orc's laughter. _Like hell I'm backing down without a fight_… she thought as she turned sharply on her heel and stormed towards the panther sleeping nearby.

* * *

"Ya didn' 'ave ta be so mean, ya kno'…" Raj said as he let Naruul drag him towards Sen'jin. He had given up on resisting her, and now was following her like a puppy being dragged on a leash.

Naruul scoffed. "She gets to see you every day, and I haven't seen you in months! I think I'm justified in wanting to spend just one day with you!" She let go of his arm, but continued her determined march. "Besides, if Hai'zan and all them found out that you came back and didn't bother stopping in Sen'jin, I'd never hear the end of it!"

"Dey miss me dat much?" Raj said with a grin.

"Yeah, especially Mishiki…" Naruul said teasingly.

Raj's grin fell, and he shuddered at the troll's name. "I tink I can live witout seein' 'er again!"

Naruul laughed. "I think you've just been away from troll women for way too long! Mishiki may be a nutcase, but at least she's better than some wimpy, pushover night elf who just gives up without a-YEEEEOUCH!"

Naruul's howl of pain nearly made Raj jump out of his skin. The orc's hands flew to her rear, and she spun around to find a black panther glaring at her, a piece of Naruul's pants now hanging from her mouth. The ebony cat then turned around, kicked up some dirt towards the dumbfounded orc, and sprinted back towards a green-haired night elf in the distance, who had her fist raised in a rude gesture.

Raj couldn't fight the grin spreading across his face, even when Naruul started cursing loudly in the night elf's direction.

Zelinda grinned as she watched Kali return with the leather hanging from her mouth. _There's something to remember me by!_ she thought smugly. Her expression slowly melted, however, into a look of dejection as she watched Raj and Naruul disappear in the distance. They were actually planning on leaving later on that evening, since there was now more reason for them to leave than to stay. They had originally come here for two reasons, and seeing as how Raj's family was safe, and Tal'ika hadn't disowned her son by now, the trip was called off as a success. Therefore, Zelinda decided not to push her luck by staying in Horde territory longer than she had to. More than likely, the only reason Naruul hadn't brought a huge angry mob yet was because it would put Raj and Tal'ika in a world of trouble.

"Ya hungry o' not?" Tal'ika scolded from the doorway, breaking Zelinda's train of thought. The night elf nodded; food sounded good, and getting out of the harsh sun sounded even better.

* * *

"Stop pickin' out all da meat, Vaji!" Takki scolded as her little sister was helping herself to the pot of stew sitting in the fire. Zelinda picked up a bowl and sat patiently at the table, deciding to wait until everyone else had their turn. Rek'kar was sitting next to her, also waiting patiently, and was extremely quiet as usual. Zelinda wondered if this was normal, or if he was really shy around new people. He noticed she was staring at him, and when he glanced up at her, she smiled.

"Hello," Zelinda said, practicing her Orcish. Rek'kar blinked, obviously startled.

"H-hello…" he stammered quietly, looking away and flushing.

Zelinda furrowed her brows in worry, and looked over at Tal'ika. "Did I say something wrong?"

Tal'ika noticed her son's discomfort, and merely shrugged. "He pro'lly jus' doesn't know how to act 'round ya. He be pretty smart fo' his age, and is pro'lly da only one o' my kids dat realizes how dangerous yo' bein' here is."

Zelinda nodded slowly, feeling a little guilty for endangering everyone around her just with her presence. Tal'ika then turned to the other three and scolded in Orcish, "A'least ONE o' my kids was born wit some sense!"

Takki glared at her mother, looking insulted and a little confused. Sor'ja just shrugged, not bothering to look up from his bowl. Vaji was cheerfully oblivious to everything, as always, and finished her stew with a loud slurp.

"Mmmm, yum!" she said as she brought the bowl back down on the table. She wiped her mouth unceremoniously on her arms, and turned to Tal'ika. "Ma, it's hot! I wanna go to da ocean!"

"Ya can' go alone…" Tal'ika said absently as she filled her bowl with stew.

Not missing a beat, Vaji looked up at Zelinda and grinned. "Wanna go wit me?"

"She can' go wit ya," Tal'ika said before Zelinda could respond. That is, if she was even going to respond.

Vaji pouted. "Why not?"

The troll groaned, not wanting to explain it to her. So she didn't bother. "Takki, you go wit 'er."

Takki's head jerked up. "Why me? I don' wanna!"

Tal'ika turned to her with an exasperated look. "An' who else gonna do it, eh?"

Takki opened her mouth to respond, but upon looking around the room, she noticed that Rek'kar had gotten his food and had taken it somewhere outside, as usual, and Sor'ja had conveniently fallen asleep at the table. She muttered angrily to herself, and after setting her and Vaji's bowls aside to be washed, she led her little sister out the door, who was grinning and skipping happily behind her.

Sor'ja opened one eye to make sure they had left, then sat up to resume eating his stew, giving the night elf a sheepish grin. Zelinda snickered, until Tal'ika cleared her throat impatiently. Zelinda turned her head towards her, and found a bowl of stew a few inches from her face.

"Um... thank you…" she said slowly as she hesitantly took the bowl from Tal'ika. The troll didn't respond, but took the elf's empty bowl, filled it for herself, and sat at the table with the other two.

A couple hours passed rather slowly, the three of them chatting occasionally while they ate and cleaned up. Sor'ja was bringing in the skins he had stretched the day before, while Zelinda and Tal'ika were putting away the last of the cleaned dishes, when the night elf decided to inquire about something.

"How long?" the troll repeated. She paused in thought for a moment. "Dey known eachudda since dey be dis big." She put her hand to her waist-level. "After Naruul lost 'er brothas in an Alliance raid, she kinda latched onto Raj." She grinned. "Fo' a while, ya couldn't separate dem witout Naruul makin' a fuss. Dey be best friends up ta dis day."

Zelinda nodded, absently wiping down a bowl. "…Do they… have a history?"

"A history?" Tal'ika asked, not understanding the phrase.

Zelinda fumbled a bit, trying to find a way to explain. "I mean… um… did they ever… have feelings for each other?"

"Oh _dat_," she said, grinning in a way that made Zelinda's heart sink. "Naruul did like him like dat at one point, but she don' anymore."

"I see…" Zelinda's voice was unusually quiet. "Was he really hurt about that?"

Tal'ika shrugged. "Not really… he neva liked 'er like dat."

Zelinda blinked. "Oh."

"Ya mon, he only eva saw 'er as his best friend. She be fine wit dat, though, so dey went on as if nothin' changed."

"If that's the case, then why does she seem to be so jealous of me?" Zelinda said indignantly.

Tal'ika grinned widely. "She don' 'ave a problem wit losin' him ta someone else…" She was silent for a while before she continued. "…but I tink she 'ave a big problem wit losin' him ta someone like you."

Just then, Rek'kar burst into the room, out of breath and speaking rapidly to his mother and brother while pointing out the doorway. Worried and confused, Zelinda looked over at Tal'ika, who said something back at Rek'kar and was rushing to the doorway. Before she reached it, however, Raj and Naruul entered the room, looking even more breathless than Rek'kar. Zelinda couldn't understand a single word from Raj or Naruul, but she knew something was seriously wrong.

"What happened?" she asked as Raj finally turned to her.

"Da Kolkar tribe be attackin' us again," he said hurriedly. "Those damn centaurs raided Sen'jin, and now be stampedin' dis way-" He stopped abruptly, and looked around the room. "…Where be Takki and Vaji?"

Tal'ika's eyes widened in horror. "Oh gods!" She grabbed her staff and rushed to the door. "We gotta find 'em!"

"I'll help!" Zelinda said as she grabbed her bow.

"NO!" both trolls yelled, making both Zelinda and Naruul jump back a little in surprise. When Zelinda looked about to protest, Raj put his hands on the night elf's shoulders and spoke in a much softer tone. "Listen, Zel. Ya gotta stay 'ere, no matta what. Ya can' let anyone see ya, 'kay?"

Before she could answer, yells were heard from outside. Tal'ika, Naruul, Sor'ja and Rek'kar were already out the door, when Raj finally let go of her shoulders. "Jus' stay 'ere, please!" he said as he ran out after them.

Outside the doorway, they all just stood in awe for a couple seconds, watching as a massive herd of centaurs were already stampeding past them, chasing fleeing orcs and trolls and nearly destroying everything in their path. Tal'ika grip tightened on her shaman's staff. "I'll look dis way!" she yelled before running off to the left. Sor'ja and Rek'kar ran in the opposite direction. Raj and Naruul called out to Takki and Vaji, and tried to avoid getting trampled as they wandered out to look for them. Eventually the stampede slowly started to die down, but only because some of the centaurs stopped to pillage and destroy the few houses around them. Then they saw two young trolls, both girls, the older one dragging the younger behind her as they were running from a centaur swinging a spiked club over his head.

"Takki!" Raj called out, and tried to run out to them. He barely dodged an incoming centaur, but wasn't lucky enough to dodge the next, and was forcefully knocked to the ground. Naruul ran past, and as she saw the centaur raise his club to swing at Takki, she pulled her arm back and flung her axe as hard as she could. It knocked the club away, taking his hand along with it. The centaur yelled out in pain and clutched his arm as blood gushed from where his hand was. Now enraged, his let out a bestial roar and turned his attention back to the two young trolls, who were now cowering in fear on the ground. Cursing, Naruul bolted towards them, but already knew it was too late. _I'm not going to make it in-_

Her thoughts were cut short by an arrow flying past her head.

The centaur cried out suddenly, crippled by the arrow now protruding from his chest. Naruul stared in shock as two more arrows flew past her, followed by a blur of pitch black she barely recognized as a panther.

_She wouldn't_...

Her fears were confirmed, however, when she turned to look behind her just as the night elf ran by, with her dagger in hand. And for once, probably the only time in her entire life, she wished she had learned even a little bit of that pitifully mundane language that others called Common, just so the night elf would understand her when she damned her and her entire race for her carelessness and extreme stupidity.

By the time Zelinda reached the centaur, he had pulled the arrow from his chest with a painful grunt, the poison from it slowing his movements. She drove her dagger into his side, just as Kali pounced on his hind legs, trying to pull him to the ground. He fell to his knees, but then Zelinda had trouble pulling the dagger back out. The centaur took the opportunity and stabbed her with the arrow in his hand. She moved in time for it to miss her heart, but wasn't quick enough, and the arrow impaled her arm. She cried out, but finally wrenched the dagger free and drove the dagger into the centaur's eye socket and into his brain. Takki and Vaji watched wide-eyed as the centaur gave a final shudder and fell to the ground. The night elf breathed heavily as she tried to stand up again, but the dizziness made her fall back to her knees. The poison from her own arrow was starting to have an effect on her. She gritted her teeth and yanked the arrow out, tossing it aside as Takki and Vaji ran up to her.

"Ya okay Zel?" Takki said worriedly, holding her upright as sleep threatened to overtake the night elf. A loud war cry caught their attention, and they turned towards the sound. Another centaur had witnessed the fall of his kinsmen, and was now charging towards them. _Well crap_… Zelinda thought to herself. With her vision getting blurry, she looked over at Naruul, who was helping a dazed-looking Raj up off the ground, and knew they wouldn't get to them in time. Panic started to cloud her already foggy mind; she couldn't take on another centaur now…

A series of arrows flew from behind her and hit the centaur, along with a huge fireball, and it was dead almost instantly. Zelinda blinked, almost not believing her good luck. Thanking every god she could think of, she turned to see who saved them… and her blood ran cold.

"Ya okay, mon?" a troll in mage robes said as he got off his mount and ran up to the three. "Yo' bleedin… ya gonna need a healin' spell or..." He froze in mid-sentence.

"What's wrong? Are they hurt that bad?" An orc hunter ran up to the troll, who was just staring stupidly with his mouth agape. When the orc reached them, he knelt down to look at Zelinda's wound, and noticed it wasn't that bad at all. Then he looked up at Zelinda's face… and his jaw dropped.

"What the hell?" The orc nearly jumped back, and stared at her with the same shocked expression as the troll. Zelinda felt Takki's grip tighten on her arm, but it did little to comfort her. She looked over at Raj and Naruul, and saw that they were frozen in shock too, having no idea how to react in this situation. Her vision was getting dark now, and she had to struggle to create one last coherent thought.

_I'd rather take the damn centaur._

Then the poison overpowered her, and she blacked out.

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

Author's notes: Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews! You people are awesome:) Anyway, I have some good news and some bad news. First, the bad news: I will be going to Japan for a month to visit some friends, so I won't be able to work on this story for a while. I rushed to finish this chapter in time so I could post it before I left, so you guys at least had _something_ to read. Sorry, but I'll start working on the next chapter as soon as I get back! Now for the good news: I have more stuff up on my deviant art account! Woohoo! I finally colored the chibi-drawing of Raj and Zel, and there's a new Raj/Zel drawing in the scraps section (it's in there because I still need to color it). It's one of the best sketches I have ever done, so go check it out! They're both at this page: flyingsquirrelofdoom dot deviantart dot com.

Now for legal stuff: I don't own warcraft, blah blah blah…

Okay, I'm done. Here's chapter ten. Thanks for reading. Enjoy. :)

* * *

Raj had always wanted to meet Thrall. Ever since his father took him to Orgrimmar when he was ten, and they happened to see the raven-haired orc and his Horde army in a funeral procession for one of his generals, he was looking forward to the chance of one day meeting the warchief in person. However, he never imagined that the encounter would be anything like _this._ In fact, Thrall was probably the last person he wanted to see at the moment. 

Raj glanced warily around the large circular room he was in. He was in the barracks at Razor Hill, just north of Sen'jin. Thrall and his army were heading to the Barrens from Orgrimmar, but stopped in Razor Hill for a couple days when they heard about the situation in Sen'jin. Thus Raj found himself sitting in the very center of the room, surrounded by guards, relieved of his weapons, and waiting for the warchief himself to show up. Unfortunately, half the population of Durotar seemed to be waiting along with him, filling up the rest of the room until it nearly felt claustrophobic. They probably heard about his 'predicament' and, like most people who hear there's about to be a lynching, they came early to make sure they got good seats. One orc had even brought some popcorn with him. Raj memorized that orc's face and swore to himself, if he didn't survive this, that he would at least haunt his ass for a few decades.

Eventually, Thrall entered the large room, talking with his adviser, and Raj instantly got up to his feet out of respect while everyone's chatter instantly dimmed down to low murmurs and whispers. The two orcs talked for a moment, before Thrall started heading for the high-backed chair set up for him against one of the walls of the room, almost looking like he didn't want to be here any more than Raj. In truth he didn't know why he was here in the first place; he had many more important things to do, and couldn't see why someone else couldn't have handled something like this for him. Apparently, no one else knew exactly how to handle this. Technically, traitors to the Horde were put to death, but the Horde army was currently looking for as many volunteers as possible, and not a single person could be spared, even on the premise that they might be a traitor. Therefore, they decided to leave the decision up to him. After all, Thrall couldn't make a wrong decision, now could he? Thrall sighed and stopped in front of the chair, not bothering to sit down. He always preferred standing, even in his own throne room. By now the room had become completely silent, with everyone's eyes fixed pensively on the warchief.

"…What's your name, rogue?"

"He is Raj'iki, son of Sor'iki, sir!" one of the Razor Hill grunts bellowed nearby. Thrall raised his eyebrow at the orc, then turned back to Raj.

"And why exactly are you here, Raj'iki?"

"He admits to fraternizing with the enemy, sir!" the grunt responded again. Thrall gave the grunt a withering stare.

"Maybe I should be interrogating _you_?"

The grunt gulped. "Sorry, sir," he said as he backed away slightly. Thrall then turned back to the troll.

"Ya kno', I don' mind if he talks fo' me…" Raj said meekly, trying to hide his nervousness.

Thrall smirked a little. "And deny you the privilege of speaking for yourself?"

Raj gave him an uneasy smile. He could do without that privilege; he doubted he could say anything to improve the situation anyway.

Just then another Razor Hill grunt approached the warchief and whispered something in his ear, to which he nodded in response. The grunt then disappeared outside again, and a few seconds later Raj could hear someone cursing loudly in a way that he knew could only be from Zelinda. At least she was still alive, and very energetic by the sound of it. Another grunt entered the large circular room, carrying the loud and unruly night elf over his shoulder. He reached the center of the room and dropped her unceremoniously on her ass, glad to be finally rid of the annoying creature. As he walked away, Zelinda sat up and flashed him a very rude hand gesture, then grasped her left arm where it had started bleeding again. They didn't bother giving her a bandage, and her entire sleeve was now soaked in blood. Raj resisted the urge to go to her; that _definitely_ wouldn't help his case at the moment.

"Do you know this elf?"

"Ya…" Raj said slowly, looking down at her. Zelinda was nervously looking around the room, noticing all the people who were staring menacingly at her.

"Does your family know this elf?"

"No. Dey neva met 'er befo' today," he said, hoping the lie would pass.

Thrall paused for a moment. He seemed to let that slide, at least for now. "Are you on friendly terms with her?"

Raj hesitated for several seconds. "…Ya."

Thrall raised an eyebrow. "Considering the current situation between the two factions, shouldn't you have killed her the first chance you had? Why didn't you?"

Raj couldn't come up with an answer to that question. After a long moment of uneasy silence, Thrall spoke again.

"Are you a traitor?"

"No," he said almost immediately. Thrall noticed it was the first answer the troll was truly confident about. The warchief nodded to one of the nearby guards, and Raj watched as the guard started to approach him. When he reached the center of the room, he took the troll's right hand, slapped something heavy into it, and briskly turned around to walk back where he came from. Raj glanced down at what was now in his hand.

It was a dagger.

Thrall crossed his arms. "If you are loyal to the Horde... then prove it."

For the longest time, Raj couldn't tear his eyes away from the blade in his hand. He knew exactly what they wanted him to do with it. He also knew that there was no way he could bring himself to use it on the night elf next to him. Feeling an overwhelming sense of dread rise up in him, he drew a breath and calmly considered all his options. They could try to make a run for it, but judging by all the guards surrounding them, not to mention the onlookers, they would have better luck sprouting wings and flying out of there. He even considered using the dagger on himself, but that wouldn't help Zelinda's situation at all. He was still going through the possibilities in his head, but that feeling of hopelessness started to rise up again as he realized he was running out of options.

Zelinda was also staring at the blade in Raj's hand. She too knew what it was for, but unlike Raj, she was strangely calm. She saw only two possible outcomes to this situation… and both of them resulted in her death. She had finally come to terms with that before she even entered the room, and decided that if that were the case, she might as well choose how she was going to die. Not only could Raj spare himself by killing her, but he would make it quick and as painless as possible. There were many worse ways to die, so if this was the way she was going to go out, then she counted herself lucky. She slowly started to get up, which startled Raj out of his train of thought, and he watched her fully stand, still clutching her left arm. Raj noticed that she was trembling slightly, but was surprised by her eyes, which held more determination than he thought she was even capable of. She had no second thoughts about what she wanted Raj to do with that dagger… but that did little to comfort him. True, it would be better to die by his hand than by one of the angry guard's nearby, but he still wasn't sure he could bring himself to do it. Even if he didn't love her, she had done so much for him…

Suddenly, an idea came to him. He stood frozen for a moment, mulling it over in his head, when Zelinda's brows furrowed in confusion. _What is he doing?_ She blinked in surprise, however, when Raj looked back up at her, and his face almost broke out into a grin. He then turned towards the orc standing before him.

"Um, Thrall… I mean, warchief, sir…" Raj stumbled, obviously not used to using formalities. "Sorry, but…"

At hearing those words, almost everyone in the room started booing and yelling some rather rude things, to which Raj glared at them in response. Thrall raised one of his massive hands, however, and the room suddenly became silent again.

"Let him finish." He crossed his arms again, and glowered at the troll. "Sorry but?"

Raj swallowed hard. "But… da reason we Darkspears be loyal ta you an' da Horde, be da same reason I can' kill dis night elf."

Thrall raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" he said, intrigued about how the troll was going to attempt to talk himself out of this.

"Ya… She not only saved my life, but da lives o' my two sistas. I be honor-bound ta pay 'er back, an' 'till den I can' kill 'er." He paused, hoping the half-truth sounded somewhat convincing. Raj technically was doing all the life-saving in the beginning, but the only ones who knew that were Zelinda and himself.

Thrall didn't look completely convinced. "Is that so?"

Raj slowly nodded. "I'll kill fifty night elves if ya want… Jus' not dis one."

Thrall was silent, thinking about how he should respond to something like that, when a female orc stepped forward from the crowd of onlookers.

"it's true, sir," Naruul said, even though she looked a little hesitant. "I… I saw her risk her own life to save his siblings, during the centaur raid."

As murmurs started spreading through the crowd, both Thrall and Raj gave her incredulous looks, while Zelinda just stared quizzically at her, trying to understand what was going on. Naruul glared at the night elf, as if to say "I am NOT doing this for YOU."

"Can anyone else attest to this?" Thrall said, still a little surprised by the way this was turning out. Naruul glared threateningly at a troll mage a couple meters to her left. He noticed, and sighed as he reluctantly dragged the orc hunter forward with him.

Thrall was speechless for a few moments. He then looked back at Raj, and gave a slight grin. _Well, aren't you clever_… He then turned his attention to Zelinda.

"What is your name, night elf?"

Zelinda was startled by the orc suddenly speaking to her in Common, and it took her a moment to register his question.

"Uh… Zelinda Stargazer."

"I have been informed that you saved this rogue's life, and the lives of his sisters. Is this true?"

Zelinda looked puzzled for a moment. "Yeah…" she said warily, casting a quick, confused glance at Raj.

"Are you a traitor to the Alliance?"

Zelinda hesitated; not because she wasn't sure of her answer, but because of what the orc's reaction to it would be.

"No."

Thrall raised an eyebrow at her response. _Well, at least she isn't a coward,_ he thought to himself. The night elf was confident in her answer, glaring defiantly up at him, and looking strangely similar to a certain flaxen-haired mage he had befriended a long time ago. He gave an inward sigh.

"Good. I don't deal with traitors." He then turned to one of the guards and started speaking with him, while Raj and Zelinda exchanged astonished and confused glances.

"Uh… What just happened?" she whispered in his direction.

Before Raj could reply, Thrall had started speaking in Orcish again. "The four of you will take the elf outside and watch her. She is _not_ to be harmed. Raj'iki, you will stay here. I need to speak with you in a moment."

As Thrall turned to speak to his adviser again, most of the audience groaned, disappointed that they weren't going to watch someone die today. Feeling somewhat cheated, they started filing out of the room, while four Razor Hill grunts started to approach Zelinda. She tensed up as they surrounded her, but none of them touched her, and one of them motioned for her to follow him. Cautiously, she followed the grunt out of the large room, looking back at Raj as she turned the corner. Four guards likewise surrounded Raj, taking the dagger from him as they waited for Thrall to finish his business. After several minutes of Thrall giving orders and arguing with his adviser, he finally approached Raj and motioned for the guards to stand at the entrance so he could talk privately with the troll. When they were alone, Thrall turned to him.

"I will be taking the Horde army to the Barrens. We will leave Razor Hill and head west tomorrow evening."

Raj knew what was coming next. "…And I assume I be goin' wit you?"

"On the contrary, I am ordering you to stay behind."

Raj blinked. "Um… okay?"

Thrall continued. "Although I don't believe you to be a traitor, you now have a second loyalty that conflicts with the first. It would be foolish of me to put you in the position where you might be forced to choose one over the other. Besides, we need _some_ soldiers to stay behind so our homeland isn't completely vulnerable."

Raj wasn't sure if he was hearing all this right. "So… dat's it? I ain' exiled fo' life o' anyting?"

Thrall gave a weary sigh. "Yes, that's it. Just count yourself lucky that I don't have time to deal with you right now." He turned to lead Raj towards the exit. "In fact, while you are associated with that elf, it would be best, for your own sake, to try to make sure I forget about you. I might not always be as benevolent, or as preoccupied." He glanced at Raj, and noticed the troll was giving him an odd look. "Is something wrong?"

"No! Nothin'. It's jus'… I didn' expect ta get off dis easy. I tought ya'd be mo' angry, I guess."

Thrall gave him the smallest hint of a smile. "Actually, I almost envy you."

"Eh?"

"Nothing. Just get out of here, before I change my mind."

"Oh, ya. Uh… thanks, warchief, sir," Raj said awkwardly as he practically ran out past the guards, wanting to see Zelinda as soon as possible.

Thrall started rubbing his temples, already feeling a headache coming on. Now that this matter was dealt with, he had to focus on dealing with the Alliance threat in the Barrens. Not only were there reports of Alliance spies being spotted, the Alliance was also sending an alarming number of reinforcements to not only Theramore in Dustwallow Marsh, but also Northwatch Hold, the only human outpost in the Barrens. Anticipating an offensive move, he thought it wise to send a good part of his troops to the Crossroads and prepare for a full-blown war to break out.

_What exactly are you planning to do, Jaina?_

His thoughts once again drifted to the blonde mage that helped him defeat the Burning Legion all those years ago. In truth, he trusted Jaina Proudmoore more than many of his close associates, but recent developments have put a lot of strain on the fragile alliance he and Jaina had informally made, and both the orcs and the humans here on Kalimdor seemed to have abandoned the certain level of tolerance they had for each other. He was getting more and more pressure from those around him to stop preventing the inevitable and strike first at the Alliance, before they get the chance. More than likely, Jaina was being pressured in a similar way. He groaned inwardly; he wished he could meet his friend in secret and try to negotiate this in a more diplomatic way, but it seemed that neither side was interested in peace anymore, and a secret meeting with the enemy would certainly NOT be taken well by his followers if they found out. He wondered if Jaina would even be willing to settle this diplomatically anymore.

"Thrall, sir?"

Thrall almost winced at the sound of his adviser's voice. "Yes, Nazgrel?"

"We have an update on the Alliance, and we have a problem with the supplies that arrived from Orgrimmar. Your attention is required on both matters."

"Of course," he replied wearily, turning to him and motioning towards the exit. "Lead the way."

* * *

Raj was nearly blinded by the sunlight as he left the dark building, even though it was nearly dusk. When his eyes adjusted, he looked around him to see where they might be keeping Zelinda, when he felt someone whack the back of his head. 

"OW! Da hell ya doin'?" he yelled, turning on his assailant. Naruul stood there, glaring at him as if she were waiting for another excuse to hit him again.

"That's no more than you deserve, you lanky son of a bitch!"

Raj smiled weakly. "Nice ta see you too."

Naruul stabbed her index finger into his chest. "There's _no way_ you're gonna be able to pay me back in this lifetime for what I did for you and that stuck-up elf!"

He grinned. "Maybe… But I can a'least try, right? When we get back ta Sen'jin, I'll buy ya enough booze ta keep ya plowed fo' a year."

"I'm not going back to Sen'jin."

Raj blinked. "Huh?"

Naruul beamed up at him. "I'm going to the Barrens with Thrall. I volunteered."

"Oh…" he said, looking astonished. "Ya mean dey even acceptin' wimps like you?"

Naruul slugged him in the arm, making Raj wince and leaving behind a painful bruise.

"Damn, I'm jus' kiddin', mon… 'Ey, ya seen Zel anywhere?"

The orc rolled her eyes. "Your precious little elf is over there. I'm surprised you didn't notice the racket they were making."

Raj followed her line of sight, towards a couple of tables just north of the barracks, and almost couldn't believe what the night elf and the orcs were doing.

They were having a drinking contest. And Zelinda was in the lead, by the looks of it.

"Well, I'll leave you two to run off together and be merry, I guess," Naruul said in a sarcastic tone as she turned to leave, but was stopped by Raj's hand on her arm.

"What is it?" she said, turning back to face him.

Raj smiled down at her. "Take care o' yo'self, 'kay?"

Naruul blushed slightly, then recovered and tugged her arm away with a scowl. "You're one to talk… Idiot."

Raj grinned widely, and Naruul gave a small smile in return before the two parted ways, Naruul walking towards the other volunteers who were prepping for the long journey, and Raj practically running to the table where Zelinda and the grunts sat. As he approached them, he noticed that while Zelinda was only somewhat tipsy, the orcs were all three sheets to the wind, judging by their slurred speech and apparent lack of good judgment. One of the orcs next to Zelinda decided it would be funny to reach up and squeeze one of her breasts, and as expected, the night elf reeled back and socked him in the face, sending him to the ground and knocking him unconscious. The other three orcs did what anyone would expect them to do in that situation; they laughed their asses off.

"Shouln' ya be _guardin'_ 'er?" Raj asked with a raised eyebrow as he approached them. The grunts just shrugged and grinned sheepishly.

Zelinda noticed Raj's presence, and beamed up at him. "Heeeeeeeey Raj!" she said gleefully, wobbling a bit as she stood up. "I knew you trolls weren't considered clever for nothing! I can't believe you actually talked your way out of that one! I thought I was dead for su-OOF!"

Before she knew it, Raj's arms were around her, holding her to him as if his life depended on it. Zelinda blinked in surprise, sobered a little by his reaction. "Raj?"

She felt his shoulders shake a little, and when he let out a choked sob, Zelinda's eyes widened. "Raj? Are you…?"

"Aww, come on… Don't get sho emoshional," one of the orcs slurred, trying to comfort him. "He only groped her because I dared him to… Didn't mean nothing by it."

"Jus' shut up an' drink yo' ale," Raj said, not lifting his face from where it was buried in Zelinda's hair. The orc shrugged and turned his attention back to his mug.

Raj had stopped shaking, but Zelinda still had her arms wrapped around him to comfort him. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

"I tought I was gonna lose you…" he whispered in her hair.

Zelinda smiled, and held him tighter. "You wanna go home now? I bet Tal'ika's worrying her hair out over you."

Raj nodded, and finally let go of her. His eyes were a little misty, but he had a big grin on his face, and he had to resist the urge to kiss her in front of the inebriated orcs.

"I'm guesshing you'll be wanting these back," one of the orcs said as he reached under the table and puller out a pair of daggers. When he put them on the table, Raj gave him a funny look.

"Uh… those ain' mine, mon."

The orc looked back at the blades on the table. "Oh shit… thoshe are mine." Raj rolled his eyes as the grunt pulled another pair out from under the table and handed them to the troll.

"What 'bout hers?" Raj said as he motioned to the night elf.

"Oh, we already gave it back to her," said another orc as he finished off his mug. Raj shook his head in disbelief.

"Good ta see dat da Horde's got competent guards like you," he said as he sheathed his daggers. He then turned to Zelinda. "I can' believe ya out-drank four orcs twice yo' size."

Zelinda grinned sheepishly. "I didn't, really. I started drinking long after they did."

"Ya need help walkin'?"

"Naw, I'm good," she replied as she started to follow Raj, who wanted to get out of Razor Hill as soon as possible. She turned around to wave at the three orcs as they left. "Byeeeeeeee!"

The orcs waved back at the two. "Bring her back shometime! I can't get beat by a night elf! I have a reputashun to uphold!"

* * *

By the time they were halfway to Sen'jin Village, night had completely descended, and the full moon easily illuminated the path in front of them. At this time, Raj had also finished explaining what happened in Razor Hill, from Naruul's involvement to Thrall's orders to remain in Durotar. 

"And that's all he did? He basically just sent you home to your mother?"

Raj let out a sigh. "Ya, basically."

"Wow, I wouldn't think a Horde officer would be that forgiving! Who _was_ that orc, anyway?"

Raj raised an eyebrow at her question. "Warchief Thrall."

Zelinda's eyes widened, and she was silent for a moment. "...He's shorter than I thought he'd be."

"Almos' everyone be shorter dan you, Zel," Raj said with a smirk.

She pouted. "Yeah, I guess you're…" She stopped mid-sentence, and her face suddenly became gravely serious.

"Eh? What's wrong?" Raj asked when he noticed her discomfort. As soon as he asked, however, he sensed it too, and went rigid. Nonetheless, the two kept walking, pretending as if they didn't notice anything different. Raj leaned slightly towards Zelinda.

"How many are dere?" he whispered quickly.

"Two… maybe three," Zelinda whispered back. Even in her slightly buzzed state, she could sense that they were being followed. After a few more meters, she made a slight motion with her head, signaling to Raj that they were behind her to her left, behind one of the rows of cactus.

Then, in one fluid motion, the night elf reached down, grabbed a fist-sized rock, and hurled it towards one of the cactus plants. A dull smack and a loud shriek of pain confirmed the hit, and Raj and Zelinda ran towards the sound with their daggers drawn. When they reached the source, however, they looked extremely puzzled by what they found.

A gnome in mage's robes was lying unconscious on the red ground, her two huge brown ponytails splaying out around her head, which had started bleeding profusely.

"A gnome? In Durotar?" Zelinda asked out loud. Raj just shrugged; his guess was as good as hers. Zelinda stared at the small mage, and suddenly had an uneasy feeling. This gnome almost looked familiar…

"Millie!" yelled a human warrior as she ran up to them, drawing her sword and getting in her battle stance. She was immediately joined by a dwarf hunter and his wolf, and the four of them stood frozen, holding their weapons defensively in front of them and waiting for someone to make the first move. As Zelinda stared at the dark-eyed, ebony-haired woman, she almost instantly recognized them as the group of Alliance that healed her, back in Ashenvale. The female warrior seemed to recognize her and Raj at the same time. Her eyes widened in shock.

"It's YOU!" both women shouted simultaneously.

There was complete silence for several seconds as everyone just stared at each other in astonishment. Then it was suddenly broken by the dwarf's thundering laughter.

* * *

"So your name's Cassandra?" Zelinda asked the raven-haired woman, who was devouring the jerky given to her as if she hadn't eaten in weeks. 

"Mmm-hmm," she managed between mouthfuls. The group was gathered behind a small outcropping of rocks, out of sight from the road between Sen'jin and Razor Hill.

"Um… I never did get to thank you for helping me back in Ashenvale."

Cassandra shrugged. "Don't worry about it," she mumbled as she finished of the jerky.

"And thanks for helping me now, even though I hurt your friend," Zelinda said to the dwarf next to her as he replaced the bandage on her left arm. She was given one in Razor Hill, but it was soaked in blood and needed to be changed.

"Not a problem, lass! We're just glad yer not Horde, we prob'ly would be dead by now!"

Raj gave him an odd look. "So I ain' Horde now, eh?"

Barrett laughed. "Yer not hostile to us, at least!"

"Ow ow ow…" Millie whimpered. She was sitting next to Raj, gingerly touching the bandage wrapped around her forehead. "That's quite a throw you have there."

"Sorry about that…" Zelinda said apologetically. She then turned back to Cassandra. "So what are you guys doing in here in Durotar?"

"We could ask you the same thing," the woman said with a smirk.

Zelinda motioned to the troll next to her. "Raj had to see his family."

"And you decided to tag along?" Millie asked, eyes wide in disbelief. The night elf nodded.

"Are you suicidal or something?"

Zelinda glared at the gnome. "And why are _you_ here, huh? You guys on vacation or what?"

There was silence. The three gave each other uneasy looks, and then they all looked at Raj. He shrugged.

"I be indebted ta ya, remember?" he said, crossing his arms behind his head and leaning up against a rock. "Unless ya plannin' on killin' someone, ya don' hafta worry 'bout me."

Millie still looked hesitant. "I don't know, Cassie…"

Cassandra was deep in thought for a few moments, before she decided that their cover was blown anyway, so they might as well tell them. "The Alliance sent us here as spies."

"To spy on what?" Zelinda asked.

"Thrall's army. The number of troops, if they plan on moving out soon, stuff like that. Basically our superiors in Theramore want to know what they're up against. We were heading up to Razor Hill when we ran across you two."

"Don' dey send rogues in fo' stuff like dis?" Raj questioned.

"They save the rogues for the more… dangerous jobs," Cassandra replied. Just then, her stomach made a loud grumbling sound, and her face flushed. "You wouldn't happen to have any more jerky to spare, would you?"

Zelinda shook her head. "No, you ate the last of mine. Are you really that hungry?"

"We haven't eaten in almost two days," Millie said, sounding pitiful.

Barrett nodded. "Aye, some boars got into our food supply our first night here, and it's hard to hunt fer food when yer trying to stay hidden."

"I see…" Zelinda said, wondering how she could help them. They helped save her life, and she felt the need to repay them for their kindness. Then an idea came to her, and she grinned at Raj. The troll immediately knew what she was thinking… and he didn't like it one bit.

"No. Nuh-uh. No way."

"Why not? They obviously need help. They can get something to eat, and we can tend to Millie's head-"

"She'll KILL me!" Raj said, looking desperate.

"And what else are we supposed to do, huh? Leave them here to starve? We _do_ owe them one."

"But-" Raj started, but the night elf had already left the outcropping of rocks, her silvery glowing eyes searching the road. "I don't see anyone coming. Let's go," Zelinda said with a grin, motioning for the others to follow her. As the group headed down towards the road, Raj let out a heavy sigh.

"Dat elf's gonna be da death o' me."

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

Author's note: …Did someone mention cookies?!

I kid, I kid. So… two years between updates. I may have just made a new record on FF . net! I can't say thank you enough (or say sorry enough) to those people who are still fans of this story. I could tell you everything that's happened to me in the past two years to prevent me from updating, but that would probably take hours of your time. The short version is, I've had two close family members pass away, my father became very sick (so my brother and I had to take care of him for a while), and I moved out of the country. The more personal aspects of my life (which I won't go into) were REALLY fucked up, like the kind of stuff you see in a soap opera… or maybe even a Jerry Springer episode. (shudder) Thankfully, my life's somewhat sane and drama-less again.

Anyway, I am currently teaching English to junior high students in Japan, so I'm pretty busy most of the time… Also, ironically, my English skills are kind of going to crap. Therefore, my chapters are going to take a little longer than usual. No, not 'two years' long. I will make sure that doesn't happen again. So please bear with me. I have also re-uploaded that color picture of Raj and Zel on deviantart (I originally tried to upload a better copy, and my computer, or deviantart, said "NO! Don't like!" Then my computer crapped out, and the pic was lost for a while. :( But all is well now.)

Also, I will probably revise (just a little bit) some of the chapters (the more recent ones), as I think I rushed a bit while writing them (like Thrall being OOC. :P Sorry.) I've also managed to borrow some Warcraft novels, and just finished reading Cycle of Hatred to start out with, so hopefully I won't screw up too much again while I'm writing. Reminder: constructive criticism is always welcome. :) On to the story.

* * *

If Tal'ika was furious about Zelinda's arrival, then she was absolutely livid when three more Alliance members showed up on her doorstep. Whether she was worried sick about her eldest son or not quickly became a moot point, as they both immediately launched into a huge argument that involved a lot of cursing and gesturing, with Tal'ika often pointing angrily towards the three new arrivals and Raj doing likewise towards Zelinda, while everyone else watched silently in a kind of fascinated horror. When Tal'ika started throwing things at him, Raj gave up on the argument and gave a few parting curses before storming out past his siblings, who were all watching nervously from the doorway.

As Tal'ika seethed while glaring out the door, Cassandra gave Zelinda a terrified glance. "Are we really going to get help from _her_?" she asked nervously.

Tal'ika turned on the female warrior. "I ain' exactly thrilled 'bout it eitha!" she spat in her heavy island accent. Cassandra blanched as the troll yelled at her. _She knows Common too?_ she thought, exasperated. _Does EVERY troll know Common!?_

"Look, I'm really sorry to burden you like this…" Zelinda stated, trying to calm the troll a bit. "…But they saved my life, and spared your son's, so we at least owe it to them to-"

"Den why dey gotta barge inta MY home an' eat MY food!? I ain' got no debt ta dem!" Tal'ika retorted angrily.

"I know! I'm sorry! Just… please? We'll all leave as soon as possible…"

Tal'ika stared coldly at the night elf. After an excruciatingly long silence, she finally spoke.

"If ya'll ain' out by dawn, I be killin' ya'll myself." She grabbed her staff forcefully, as if she were about to storm out, but was interrupted.

"Actually… could you possibly heal the wound on her head?" Zelinda asked sheepishly, motioning to the gnome that had just taken a seat behind Tal'ika.

The shaman froze, the incarnation of pure malice as she glared hatefully at Zelinda, then turned around and slapped the gnome forcefully across her forehead, sending her flying back off the chair.

"Millie!" Cassandra yelled, rushing to the gnome as Tal'ika stormed out.

"Ya betta be out by dawn!" the troll reiterated, disappearing into the night. Zelinda just stood there in shock. It was probably prudent that she didn't ask the troll to heal her own wound as well.

Cassandra glared at the troll as she left, until Millie spoke. "The pain's gone," she said in amazement. Cassandra looked down at her friend, who was still on her back and dazedly touching her forehead, where a soft green glow was starting to fade.

Zelinda let out the breath she was holding. "Well, that could've been much worse," she said, picking up a bowl and moving towards the black pot boiling in the fireplace.

Cassandra looked incredulously at her, while Barrett gave a deep chuckle and helped Millie to her feet. "I suppose…" she said, still recovering from the events of the past few minutes. "You know… you didn't have to do this for us."

"Yes I did," the elf said matter-of-factly. "I don't forget my debts. Unfortunately, I can't pay it off with my own hospitality at the moment. We all owe Tal'ika for putting up with us." She passed the bowl, now full of stew, to the dark-haired woman.

"Yeah…" Cassandra said, taking the bowl hesitantly. She never imagined she would ever be indebted to a troll.

Zelinda filled two more bowls of stew and passed them to Barrett and Millie… but paused at Millie.

"Wait, you're a mage, right? Can't mages make food out of thin air or something?"

Millie's face turned scarlet, while both Cassandra's and Barrett's expressions suddenly turned sour. Zelinda blinked at them, still holding Millie's bowl in mid-air.

"Uh… can you not cast that spell?" she asked.

Millie hesitantly took the bowl held out in front of her. "No, I can make bread…"

"It just isn't edible," Cassandra finished for her. Millie pouted at her, but Cassandra continued. "It either comes out as a runny glob of dough, or she burns it to a charcoal crisp."

Millie crossed her arms in a haughty manner. "Mage training isn't as simple as you think! If one wants to excel in one area, naturally you must do it at the expense of another. I might add that my ice spells are pretty advanced for a mage at my level of training…" she said, sounding pleased with herself.

"I think your bread might be more effective at warding off enemies than any of your ice spells."

Millie ignored her raven-haired friend. "Besides, it can easily be fixed with just a bit of practice. Maybe I should try again, just to-"

"NO!" Cassandra and Barrett shouted, throwing their hands out in protest. Millie froze, her hands raised in preparation for the spell, and glared at them. She briefly considered casting a fireball instead. Her stomach vetoed that option, so she sat down and started devouring her stew, sparing her friends a fiery demise. For now.

Trying not to laugh, and thus invoke Millie's wrath, Zelinda started filling her own bowl… when she felt a soft tug on her hair. She looked down and saw Vaji, grinning.

"I want some too, please!" she said, holding her hands out eagerly.

Zelinda stared at her for a moment. _I almost forgot about you._ She looked towards the door, and found Sor'ja, Rek'kar and Takki furiously trying to wave the young troll back outside, then stop suddenly when Zelinda noticed. They tried, unsuccessfully, to look nonchalant.

"You wanna come in?" she asked, waving her hand in a "come here" motion. All three vigorously shook their heads, but didn't move from their spot. They were curious enough to become permanent fixtures at the doorway, but interaction was clearly too much to ask for. Zelinda wasn't surprised.

Vaji, however, was apparently not so shy. The stew was temporarily forgotten as she approached Cassandra.

"Why is your skin so pink?" Vaji asked, pointing at the woman's face. Cassandra just stared, dumbstruck at her attempt to communicate. Vaji stared back for a moment, then gave a huge grin. "You're really pretty!"

Cassandra blinked at the young troll's beaming face, then turned to Zelinda. "Can you understand anything she's saying?"

"I only caught the word 'pretty'," Zelinda said, grinning as she ate her stew. "I think she likes you!"

Cassandra looked incredulous. "I could have killed most of her relatives, yet she thinks I'm pretty," she said in disbelief. Even so, there was the slightest hint of a smile as she looked over at the young troll, who was currently amazed at Barrett's beard. The dwarf laughed jovially when Vaji gave it a good tug to make sure it was real.

"Yeh should see the beard on me Aunt Helga! She can put most dwarven men to shame!"

"Let's hope none of us have to see that," Millie said as she examined some of the wall hangings in the room. Having finished her stew, she proceeded to take in her surroundings. Her gnomish mind was extremely curious about this new environment, especially the items that seemed to have magical properties.

"I don't think it's a good idea to touch their belongings," Cassandra said as Millie gingerly picked up an amethyst pendant.

"But it's all so fascinating!" Millie exclaimed as she observed the gem's soft purple glow. "Some of these items seem to have some pretty complex magic. I'm impressed, to tell the truth." She gently set the pendant back on the shelf, and turned to look at something else… but instead found Vaji standing right next to her.

"Wow, you're even shorter than I am!" she exclaimed, patting the gnome on the head. Millie's eyes narrowed; she understood the gesture.

"As if I don't get teased enough by _you_ two…" She glared at Cassandra, who was smirking at her.

Suddenly, Vaji grabbed Millie's hand, which made the latter's eyes go wide.

"Let's play with Kali! Come on!" Vaji started tugging the gnome out the door, and Millie was helpless to stop her.

"W-w-what?! Where are we going?! Help!" Millie reached out to her friends in desperation as the two disappeared out the door, along with the other three trolls. Cassandra stifled a laugh. She had to admit, troll children were actually pretty cute. Much cuter than she expected, anyway.

Zelinda grinned at the female warrior, who had finally seemed to loosen up a bit. As if she had read the elf's mind, Cassandra looked up at Zelinda, and her face snapped back to the same stern mask she always wore. She then cleared her throat, awkwardly.

"I don't have much to give to repay… What's her name?"

"Tal'ika."

"to repay Tal'ika for the food…" Cassandra said dryly as she finished off her stew. "…but I could give her a couple of gems I found while mining."

"If you want to, sure. I honestly think she'd rather just have us leave as quickly as possible."

Cassandra stared at her empty bowl. "We'll leave soon… but could we have a little more?" she asked sheepishly. Barrett also perked up a bit at the prospect of having another serving.

"Sure, another couldn't hurt. I think I'll go look for Raj… he's probably hungry too." She set her empty bowl down as she headed out the door. "I'll be right back."

Just outside, Zelinda found Vaji and Millie, sitting on the backs of Kali and Maggie as if they were going to go for a ride. Rek'kar was sitting nearby with a book on his lap, which was temporarily forgotten as he watched the two with a slightly amused look on his face. Zelinda couldn't help grinning herself.

"Are you two gonna race or what?"

"That's her intention, yes," Millie said as she was struggling to stay on the restless wolf's back. Vaji was having the opposite problem, as Kali seemed like she'd rather sleep than become a pony.

"She wants to run to those rocks over there," Millie pointed to a far-off cluster of boulders, barely visible in the dark, "and then run back here, for three laps. At least, that's what her brother told me."

Zelinda chuckled. "Alright, well I'm off to find Raj, good luck on your…" She stopped in mid-sentence.

"…Her brother told you?"

"Y-y-yes," she said, still struggling to stay on Maggie. Maggie sat on her haunches and the gnome slid down the wolf's back, hitting the ground with an "Oof!" and a slight bounce. Millie just gave up and stood, rubbing her bottom. "He's actually pretty inquisitive, despite being a little shy. His sister originally wanted to run to Sen'jin, but we had to explain to her why that wouldn't be the wisest cho-"

"You meant THAT brother?!" Zelinda said, pointing forcefully at Rek'kar.

Millie looked startled. "Um… yes. He seems really interested in becoming a mage as well, and has asked me quite a few questions about it." She raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You didn't know this?"

For a second, Zelinda just gaped in shock… then instantly approached Rek'kar, who suddenly looked like a scared rabbit.

"You know Common?!"

Slowly, for fear of getting his head bitten off, he nodded. "… A lil' bit."

Zelinda probably would have interrogated him for the next hour as to why he didn't tell her… if the shock hadn't rendered her speechless. She stared, dumbfounded, for a few seconds before she could form a coherent response.

"…How?"

Rek'kar looked a little hesitant. "…Secret?"

It took Zelinda a moment to understand what he was asking. "Yes, I'll keep it a secret," she said, nodding reassuringly.

Rek'kar slowly passed her the book he was holding. Confused, she flipped through a few pages. It looked like a book of basic-level spells for mages, written in Common.

"Raj found fo' me…" he said, flushing a little. His speech was slow and a little broken, and he seemed unsure of himself. "But not Orcish," he said, motioning to the book. "Only Common. Can' read… so Raj helped."

"So Raj knows?" Zelinda asked, handing the book back to him. The troll nodded.

"But your mother doesn't?"

Rek'kar shook his head furiously. "No!"

"Why not?"

"Ma gets angry," he said, shuddering a bit. " Ma gets SCARY."

Zelinda snickered, but quickly composed herself. "Why would she get angry if you became a mage?"

"Um…" He said, wondering how he could explain it with his limited knowledge of Common. "Mage skills… don' come from trolls. Come from humans an' elves. She tinks shamans much betta… mages only good fo' weak Alliance."

Zelinda laughed out loud at that. "That doesn't surprise me!" She then motioned towards Vaji. "Does she know? She's probably noticed you speaking a weird language by now…"

Rek'kar nodded. "S'okay. Vaji be good at secrets."

"Really?"

"Ya… ten minutes, den she forgets."

Zelinda laughed again. "Well I won't tell anyone else. I promise." She held her hand out to seal the deal, and after a moment of hesitation, Rek'kar slowly took it. "Th…thanks mon," he said shyly as they shook on it.

Zelinda smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'm off to find your brother… do you know which direction he went?"

Rek'kar motioned west, towards the road. "Dat way."

"Thanks." She then looked back at Millie. "Good luck on your race!"

"We'll need more than luck to wake this cat up." The gnome gestured to the sleeping panther. She then shrugged. "Oh well… I wasn't too keen on the idea anyway." Millie dusted herself off and sat next to Rek'kar, while Vaji persisted in her futile attempts to rouse Kali.

Zelinda gave a parting wave as she headed out into the darkness, her glowing eyes making it relatively easy to navigate. She soon found Raj, sitting on a large rock near the road. He was sitting cross-legged, with his arm propped up on his knee and his chin resting in the palm of his hand, looking more than a little disgruntled. Without a word, she climbed up the rock and sat next to him, both of them facing Razor Hill in the distance, the light from the fires barely visible on the horizon. After a long silence, Raj finally spoke.

"I'm startin' ta wish I jus' left ya dere."

Zelinda punched him in the arm. "You don't mean that!"

Raj turned and glared at her. "No, but I be pretty damn close ta meanin' it."

Zelinda glared back at him. "So what was I supposed to do? Leave them to starve?"

Raj turned away again, too angry to continue the conversation. Zelinda pouted at him for a moment, then sighed. His anger wasn't wholly unjustified. She knew the danger she had put Raj's family in when she brought Cassandra and her friends, so she felt a little guilty about getting angry with him. She wanted to apologize, but wasn't sure if Raj was willing to listen to her at the moment. After a long silence, she did the only thing she could think of.

Raj was startled a bit when Zelinda started singing, her voice soft and silvery. Her song was slow and melancholy, yet beautiful… and although he didn't understand the Darnassian words, he could feel the emotion she put into it. He sat quietly and listened, and despite his best efforts, his anger waned and he visible relaxed. When she finished her song, Zelinda leaned her head against Raj's shoulder.

"Sorry for doing this to you and your family… but I couldn't in good conscience turn my back on them when I owe them my life."

Raj sighed. "I kno' mon. I be indebted ta dem too." He sat motionless for a while, staring at the flickering fires from Razor Hill. "I jus' wish tings weren' as bad as dey are… and dat Ma wouldn' throw shit at my head." He reached around to pull Zelinda closer to himself, when she winced. His hand shot back.

"Sorry! Forgot 'bout yo' arm!" He then noticed the blood on his hand, visible even in the dark. "Yo' still bleedin'?"

"Yeah…" she said, grimacing. "I don't scrimp when I buy poison for my arrows. I figured it'd come back to bite me in the ass someday."

Raj looked sympathetically at her, then put his arm around her waist, pulling her close and lowering his face to hers.

"I neva did thank ya fo' savin' my sistas."

Zelinda's face flushed. "N-no, I mean, of course I would! I couldn't just leave them to die! Even if they weren't your sisters, I'd-" She was silenced when Raj's mouth came down on hers. She didn't protest.

Raj broke the kiss after a minute, and smiled warmly at the night elf. "Thanks Zel."

Zelinda, still blushing, gave him a shy smile and was about to respond, when something caught her attention on the road to Razor Hill. She stiffened.

"Someone's coming."

"Eh?" Raj straightened and looked towards the road. His eyes weren't as good as a night elf's in the dark, so it took him a while to notice the two figures coming down the road towards them. As they came closer, he noticed they were both orcs.

"I think it's Naruul," Zelinda said as she stood. Raj, surprised, got up as well and followed Zelinda to the road, where they waited for the two approaching orcs.

" 'Ey Naruul! Watchu doin' out 'ere?" Raj said, grinning despite the uneasy feeling he had at seeing these two. Did Thrall change his mind about Zelinda?

"We're trying to find you, actually," Naruul said, looking serious. She then motioned towards the other orc. "This is Officer Kalrok. He asked me to take him to you."

That uneasy feeling doubled as Raj looked at the other orc. Before he could say a word, the orc spoke.

"I'll make this short, as it requires a bit of urgency. We recently found and dispatched two Alliance rogues lurking dangerously close to Warchief Thrall. One of them was even dumb enough to try to pickpocket him. On their bodies we found two identical notes, probably orders from their superiors. We would like to determine their motives."

"So watchu need me fo'?" Raj asked warily, knowing he wasn't the only one in Durotar that could read Common. The orc looked sternly over at the night elf next to Raj.

"It's in Darnassian."

"Ah. I see…" Raj said. So it wasn't _his_ help they needed after all.

Raj looked warily at Zelinda. He was pretty sure she wouldn't like what he was going to ask her. " 'Ey Zel," he said, switching to Common. "Dey found a note on sum night elf rogues, and need ya ta translate."

Zelinda's eyes narrowed, and she was silent for a while before she answered. "What if I refuse?"

"Then I'll have to kill you where you stand," answered the orc in Common. They both were caught a little off-guard, but recovered quickly as the orc continued. "We basically just need to know if this was an attempt on Warchief Thrall's life."

Zelinda stared coldly at the orc. "I only have to translate it, correct?"

"Correct."

Zelinda sighed. She was ill-predared for a fight, and this orc looked formidable, so it seemed her two options truly were "read the letter or die." _Well, it isn't necessarily a betrayal if I just read the damn thing._

"Fine. I'll do it."

The orc eyed her suspiciously. "Can I actually trust you to tell the truth?"

Zelinda smirked. "You don't really have a choice, do you?"

"Point taken. I have the note on me, shall we go someplace with more light? Your friend Naruul tells me you don't live far from-"

"N-no, that's okay," Zelinda said, maybe a little too fast. She glanced quickly over at Raj. Thankfully it was dark enough that only she noticed the look of horror flash across his face. "I can read it just fine in the dark." She held her hand out for the note. "I just want to get this done and over with."

The orc shrugged. "The faster I get back, the better." He reached into a pack on his belt and pulled out a roll of parchement. As she took it, Zelinda took note of the name scribbled on the side. _Sylvan Windrunner… At least it's not someone I know…_ She unrolled the note and began to read.

"The contents of these orders are to remain secret, and thus they should be destroyed as soon as possible. Pffft, yeah, good job dumbass…" The orc gave Zelinda another stern look, and she cleared her throat nervously. "Um, anyway… We have attached a crude sketch of the Razor Hill compound. Memorize it. You and your partner are to infiltrate the area and locate Warchief Thrall. Once you do…" She paused a moment as she read the rest of the sentence. The orc raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"… you are to assasinate him."

"Thank you, that's all I need to know," he said curtly as he turned to leave.

Zelinda blinked in surprise. "Uh, don't you need this back?" she said, offering the parchment to him.

"We don't need two copies of the same note. Thank you for your time, night elf." He turned his back on the two, and headed back towards Razor Hill. Naruul nodded at Raj, and glared hatefully at Zelinda before following after her superior.

Zelinda just stood there, still holding the parchment out. "Well… that was relatively painless."

"Speak fo' yo'self, mon!" Raj exclaimed, falling to his knees now that the two orcs were out of sight. He looked like he was recovering from a mild heart attack.

"You okay Raj?"

"Naw mon! Dat took ten years offa my life!" He then pointed up at the night elf. "Yo' friends betta leave befo' dey get us all killed!"

Zelinda smirked. "They're your friends too, you know."

"No dey ain'! I paid off my debt ta dem, so as of now, I neva met dem befo'!"

Zelinda laughed, and offered a hand to help him up. "Whatever you say. Let's head back… I'm not sure there'll be any food left for you by the time we get there."

* * *

Millie and Barrett stared intensely at the parchment on the table, despite the fact that neither of them could read it. "I can't believe he's gone…" Millie said, patting Barrett's arm reassuringly. The dwarf seemed to be taking it the worst; he had known Sylvan the longest of all of them.

"I'm sorry… I really didn't know…" Zelinda said meekly. She sat at the table as well, while Raj helped her change the bandage on her arm. She didn't realize she'd be the bearer of such bad news for them. Cassandra was standing at the doorway, looking out into the darkness. Anyone who didn't know her would guess that she was being callous, but her friends recognized her attempts to hide her face from view. Even Raj was a little sympathetic towards them. He knew what it was like to lose a friend, so he decided to hold back from kicking them off of his family's property for the time being.

"I knew he was sent on a dangerous mission, but this…" Millie couldn't continue. She was on the verge of tears. Barrett seemed completely numb, and only after a long silence did he finally speak. "… I need a beer."

"I never did get to thank him for helping us…" Zelinda said as Raj finished with the bandage.

Millie sniffled. "I wonder where Larth and Fiola are right now… I hope they're okay…"

"Of course they're okay!" Cassandra said, almost a little too forcefully. "Larth's not dumb enough to get himself killed, and Fiola's a very capable healer." She finally turned around and headed for the table as well. She showed no signs of crying, but her face was weary and her stoic expression seemed forced.

"Are you okay, Ca-"

"Of course I'm okay!" she snapped. Millie squeaked and nearly hid behind Zelinda. Cassandra composed herself.

"Sorry Millie… I'm just very worried about everything right now."

The night elf nodded. "Yeah… This violates any kind of truce between the humans and orcs. There's going to be a full blown war now."

Everyone was silent for a long time. Raj and Zelinda crossed gazes; this definitely didn't bode well for them.

"I didn't think Lady Proudmoore would actually instigate a war. She must have been under a lot of pressure to act preemptively," Millie said, almost to herself.

"Maybe… but Proudmoore doesn't strike me as the type to get pushed around either. She must have had a good reason for this." Cassandra looked at the night elf next to her. "Does the note mention anything else?"

"Uh… A-actually…" Zelinda stumbled. "… I didn't read the whole thing."

Cassandra looked taken aback. "Well I didn't have to!" the night elf said, quick to defend herself. "I read halfway through, and the orc said that was all he needed to know!"

"You should have just made something up," Cassandra muttered, still not happy with the night elf helping out the Horde.

Zelinda glared at her. "And what would I have made up? They only came by to drop off some cookies? You can't make a decent excuse for two rogues being within spitting distance from their Warchief!"

"So, what does the letter say?" Millie asked, passing the parchment to her.

"Well…" the night elf said, scanning the paper. "First, it says this assignment is secret, and he should destroy this note as soon as possible…"

"That sounds like Sylvan, forgetting the very first task," Cassandra said as she crossed her arms.

"He musta saved it fer some reason," Barrett interjected.

Millie nodded. "Yeah. Zelinda said the other guy didn't destroy his either."

"Whatever. Continue." Cassandra motioned toward the night elf.

"Then, it says they are to find Thrall and attempt to kill him. That's where I left off."

Cassandra frowned. "Wouldn't you need more than two rogues to kill Thrall? Sounds like a suicide mission to me."

"I don't know… Sylvan was actually very skilled. Maybe that's why they chose him," Millie pointed out. "Anyway, what's the rest say?"

Zelinda read the rest out loud. "… Whether your methods are discreet or attract the attention of everyone in Razor Hill does not matter. The important thing is that the job gets done, so use whatever method best suits you. You will return to HQ with proof of your deed; an insignia, his head, anything that can be identified as belonging to him. You will not return to HQ until your assignment is complete. Success or death are your only two options. I must reiterate that this is completely confidential. You are not to speak of this assignment to anyone. Not to your friends, your family, and especially, and most importantly…"

Zelinda stopped dead. Everyone else was listening intently at that point, and they leaned closer to her as if that would help them hear her silence better. After a long moment, Raj spoke. "…Ya?"

Zelinda stared wide-eyed at the parchment in front of her. "…especially, and most importantly, not to Lady Proudmoore."

* * *

Yep, that's how I reward your patience after two years… with a cliffhanger. Please don't kill me! (runs for cover)


	12. Chapter 12

Author's notes: Thanks so much for the reviews, everyone! They keep me going! :) This chapter's a couple pages shorter than usual… sorry about that! :( It's still not the shortest chapter so far, so I hope that's some consolation. However, I'll hopefully get the next one done before Christmas! Woo! :D Until then, here's chapter 12. Enjoy!

* * *

Zelinda checked the Darnassian words again. Yep, she read them right… but they still didn't make sense. "Lady Proudmoore doesn't know…" she said, almost to herself.

Cassandra looked confused. "But… why would someone keep this a secret from her?"

"Because she'd never approve it," Zelinda said, noting the absence of a signature on the parchment. "From what I hear, Proudmoore does everything she can to preserve the truce between the humans and orcs; she'd only break it as an absolute last resort. Apparently, some of our superiors don't think she's being aggressive enough."

"But to try an' kill Thrall directly…" Barrett said. "That seems a wee bit too aggressive, aye?"

"I don' tink dat was da main objective, mon."

Everyone turned towards Raj. Zelinda asked, "Why do you say that?"

"Dis be a pretty weak attempt ta assassinate 'im. Ya gonna need mo' dan two rogues to take out da Warchief… but ya only need two ta draw a lot o' attention." He motioned toward the letter. "Dey even said dey didn't care if everyone in Razor Hill noticed dem. Whether dey be successful o' not, everyone's gonna find out anyway." He looked stern as he continued. "Killin' da Warchief wasn' as important as gettin' us pissed off."

"So… they're actually TRYING to start a war?" Zelinda said, looking astonished. "Why would they want to do that?"

"Probably because someone's tired of waiting around to get attacked first," Cassandra chimed in. "Proudmoore's pretty adamant about not breaking the truce, but she'll have to fight if Thrall breaks it first… or if she _thinks_ he broke it first."

Zelinda furrowed her brow. "Why wouldn't they go straight to Proudmoore with this letter?"

Cassandra shrugged. "Maybe they weren't planning to show her. Maybe they were just gonna do the job and not ask questions."

"Then why didn't Sylvan and the other rogue destroy their orders?" said Millie.

Zelinda stared at a particular sentence on the parchment. "'Success or death are your only two options.' In other words, don't expect a warm welcome unless you've finished the job." She glanced at Millie. "I assume one can't just go and see Proudmoore directly."

Millie shook her head. "For obvious reasons, access to her is limited. Plus, whoever has the authority to send two rogues on this type of mission isn't a low-ranking official. It's possible that they had very little chance they'd see Lady Proudmoore and NOT run into whoever gave this order… which certainly wouldn't be good for them. Still… they must have intended to show these to _someone_, if not Lady Proudmoore, otherwise there's no logical reason to keep them intact."

"Well, unless that someone was the enemy, they royally fucked that…"

Zelinda stopped in mid-sentence. _Wait… why WOULDN'T they let the enemy find this?_

"Or maybe… they didn't care if the enemy found it," Millie said, mirroring the night elf's thoughts. "If they found someone to translate it, it would prove that Lady Proudmoore didn't know anything about this."

Zelinda looked over the contents of the letter, and silently cursed herself. _I should have read the whole thing to the orc…_

Millie crossed her arms and furrowed her brow in thought. "I still don't understand. If they did want to show the enemy this letter, they could have done it without risking their lives. They didn't have to put it right in Thrall's hand. Why did they actually go to Razor Hill?"

"They had no choice," Cassandra said. "You either do the job, or be branded a deserter or a traitor. You can't just ignore orders from the Alliance… especially nowadays."

The gnome looked skeptical. "So you still think they were going to go through with it?"

"Yes I do," Cassandra nodded.

"Then why didn't they destroy the orders? It doesn't make sense, Cassie!"

"Why would they actually go to Thrall if they weren't going to kill him!?" Cassandra was obviously getting annoyed with the conversation. Raj chuckled.

"What's so funny!?" the warrior snapped at him. Zelinda looked at the troll curiously.

"Ya wanna kno' what a rogue be tinkin' and none o' ya bother askin' da rogue," he said, grinning.

Cassandra glared at the troll, then straightened and crossed her arms. "Okay… Impart some of your roguish wisdom unto us."

He grinned wider. "Ya can do da job without actually doin' da job."

Her eyes narrowed. "…Excuse me?"

"Dey needed ta get proof, right? Ya can get dat without killin' da Warchief." He again motioned towards the parchment. "Dey said dey could come back with an insignia, o' summin' else dat belongs ta 'im." He turned towards the night elf, who was staring intently at him. "I forgot ta mention dis, but da orc said dey found one o' da rogues tryin' ta pickpocket da warchief."

Zelinda's eyes grew wide, as realization suddenly hit her. "If they came back with his insignia, they could say they did the job, and it gives them the chance to try to get to Proudmoore and prevent a full-blown war. The person who gave the order would eventually find out, but it buys them some time at least."

Millie chimed in. "And if they failed, at least Thrall would have the letter, which reveals that Lady Proudmoore wasn't breaking the truce knowingly!" Millie threw her hands up in the air and cheered. "We figured it out!" It is a well-known fact that a gnome's greatest joy in life is solving a difficult problem. Millie was no exception.

"Hold on! We don't know what Sylvan's intentions really were! We don't know all this for sure!" Cassandra protested.

"No, but do yeh have a better explanation, lass?" Barrett asked. "So… knowing this, what do we do now, eh?"

"We have to take this to Proudmoore, especially since the Horde thinks she broke the truce," Millie said, grabbing her staff. "I don't know about you, but a full-blown war doesn't appeal to me. We should probably go as soon as possible."

"Good! All o' ya can finally get outta 'ere!" Raj stood up and motioned towards the door. "if ya leave befo' Ma gets back, maybe she won'… aw shit!" he cursed as his mother suddenly appeared in the doorway again. She seemed visibly distressed that the four of them were still in her house.

Zelinda was quick to respond. "Sorry Tal'ika! We're leaving right now, so you don't have to-"

"Ya ain' goin' NOWHERE!" she said, rushing to the back of the room.

Everyone froze. "Um… we're not?" Zelinda said, dumbfounded.

The troll was frantically moving a heavy table to the side. "Dey be headin' here right now! Dey gonna see ya if ya all leave now!"

Zelinda's eyes grew wide. "Oh gods…" she said, mirroring everyone else's thoughts.

"Ya, so don' jus' stand dere! Help me with da table an' rug!" Tal'ika barked at them. Everyone rushed to help move the table and roll back the rug, which revealed a sort of trap door in the stone floor.

"We had dis made fo' da kids in case dere be a raid," Tal'ika said as she lifted the heavy wooden door, revealing a deep hiding space. "Hurry up!" the troll snapped, panic making her voice shrill. Cassandra jumped in, but it was too deep for the two shorter ones of the group, so Raj had to climb in to help. Just as he was helping Barrett down, Sor'ja ran into the room.

"Dey almost 'ere, Ma!" he hissed in a loud whisper. Tal'ika hastily slammed the door shut, hitting Raj's head in the process. Loud cursing could be heard through the floor.

"Shut up down dere!" she hissed as she and Zelinda threw the rug back over the exposed floor. "Sor'ja! Help 'er move da table, I'll try ta buy ya time!" Zelinda and Sor'ja had the table back in place in seconds, during which Tal'ika grabbed her staff and headed out the door… but was stopped by a huge orc in the doorway.

"Tal'ika, I presume?" the orc questioned, staring cooly down at the shaman. Zelinda and Sor'ja heard it, and nearly jumped away from the table, lest they draw attention to it.

Tal'ika quickly composed herself, and nodded at the orc. "Ya mon," she said as she stepped aside to let him enter. "Come on in."

The orc entered the room, and was followed by a tall female troll, with straw blonde hair, a number of hoop earrings, and an arrogant demeanor. Tal'ika's expression turned sour.

"Nice ta see ya, Mishiki…" Tal'ika said in a tone that suggested otherwise.

Mishiki grinned. " 'Ey, Tal'ika!" she said, unaffected by the cold reception. "We need ta see Raj. He be around?"

Tal'ika's obviously didn't like her familiar tone. "Well, he ain' 'ere," she said, gesturing to the room.

Mishiki glanced around, and finally noticed the night elf in the corner. Her face fell. "Ah. Dat be da elf, eh?" she said, staring icily at Zelinda.

The orc cleared his throat. "We're here on business, Mishiki." He turned towards Tal'ika. "The humans have attacked sooner than expected. The Horde will be moving out soon, but we're short on warriors. We're asking one member from each household to volunteer."

"So we be 'ere ta pick up Raj," Mishiki said gleefully. Tal'ika tried her best to ignore her.

"I tought da Warchief said he-"

"Plans have changed," the orc cut her off, "and unfortunately we're short on time. Where is he?"

Tal'ika almost glanced at the rug underneath the table. _Shit… Why'd he hafta be down dere?_ Her mind worked quickly at a response.

"He be out fo' a bit. We had a fight, so he left. I was gonna go look fo' 'im," she said as she set her staff down. She almost forgot she was still holding it.

The orc rasied an eyebrow. "So you don't know when he's coming back?" Tal'ika shook her head.

"In dat case, we wait fo' 'im," Mishiki said as she sat on a bench near the fire. Tal'ika shot her an exasperated look.

The orc also didn't seem too keen on the idea. "We don't have time to wait around."

"We can wait fo' dis one!" she said as she made herself comfortable. "We be doin' him a favor, anyway…" she sneered, making it obvious who the comment was directed towards.

Tal'ika had no idea what to do at this point. She looked over at Zelinda, but the night elf had no idea what was going on, except that these two seemed to have no intentions of leaving anytime soon, and the female troll near her was making her feel very uncomfortable with her death glare. Tal'ika's mind was frantically trying to think of something, _anything_, to get them out of there, but the awkward silence was getting longer… until someone finally spoke.

"I'll go," said Sor'ja.

Everyone turned towards him, even Zelinda. Tal'ika was rendered speechless, while Mishiki looked slightly disappointed. "Ya be too young ta go. We should wait 'till-"

"How old are you?" the orc asked, cutting off Mishiki.

"Nineteen."

The orc nodded. "Old enough. Gather your things, and join the others gathered near the road. We'll head out in ten minutes." He then turned to the blonde troll. "Let's go Mishiki. Only a couple houses left."

Mishiki groaned and reluctantly stood up. She followed the orc to the doorway, but stopped at Tal'ika. "Tell Raj I still be waitin' fo' 'im," she purred. Tal'ika looked like she actually threw up a little in her mouth as Mishiki turned and left the house, giving Zelinda one last hateful glance before she disappeared into the darkness.

"So what's going on?" Zelinda asked, now that they were gone. "Did Sor'ja…"

"Ya can' go," Tal'ika said, speaking in Troll and ignoring the night elf as she approached her son. "Ya have almos' no experience in combat, I'll go instead, I can take care o' myse-"

"I'll be fine, Ma," Sor'ja said, grinning to reassure her. "Ya need ta be 'ere fo' Rek'kar, Takki and Vaji."

He went about quickly gathering his weapons and some spare clothes. Rek'kar, Takki and Vaji came in from outside. Rek'kar and Takki pensively watched Sor'ja, while Vaji looked confused. "Is big brotha goin' somewhere?"

Their mother continued to fret over him. "Most o' ya be nearly grown, ya don't need me ta take care o' ya! I swear, if ya get hurt or…" she stopped, unable to finish her sentence as tears threatened to well up in her eyes. "Dammit, Sor'ja!"

He picked up his small pack and his two weapons, a bow and quiver and an axe, and gave Tal'ika a long hug. "Don' worry 'bout me, Ma." Then, before Tal'ika could stop him or say anything else in protest, he headed out, giving his siblings a pat on the shoulder as he passed them. He paused at the doorway for a moment, took a steadying breath, then flashed everyone a grin, probably to reassure himself as well as them. Then he was gone.

Zelinda was standing behind Tal'ika, so she couldn't see her face, but she could tell the troll was upset. She didn't know what she should say… until the floor broke the silence.

"So… I'm guessin' it be safe ta come out?"

Zelinda looked down where the muffled voice came from, then quickly went to the doorway to make sure no one else was approaching. "Yeah, it's okay." She went to the table and motioned to the two older trolls to help push it to the side, while Raj opened the heavy door and helped everyone else out.

"I'm guessing you heard all that?"

"Ya mon…" Raj said as he climbed out and let the door fall shut. "…How's Ma?"

Zelinda looked back towards Tal'ika. She hadn't moved. Vaji was still staring questioningly up at her. Raj approached her cautiously. "Uh… Ma?"

Silence.

"… I, uh… forgive ya fo' hittin' me on da head earlier…"

At that, Tal'ika spun around and whapped him over the head.

"OW! Didn' ask ya ta do it again!"

Tal'ika's face was furious. "You will go out dere an' find 'im and bring 'im back 'ere!"

Raj looked incredulous. "Ya be CRAZY, mon! I can' jus' walk in an' take 'im…" He stopped. Although Tal'ika was clearly angry, she looked as if she were about to cry any second. Raj sighed. "He ain' a kid anymo', Ma…"

"… No… but I still be worried 'bout 'im. He ain' been out an' around as much… Ya can take care o' yo'self by now, but I don' kno' if… he…" Tears were spilling down her cheeks, despite her efforts to hold them back, and she averted her eyes, unable to look at anyone in the room.

Raj sighed again and scratched the back of his head. He very rarely saw his mother cry, and it made him feel uncomfortable. "A'ight… I'll go look fo' 'im."

"Um… we should head out now, too," Zelinda said quietly. She and the others had already started gathering their things.

Tal'ika nodded, and quickly dried her face. "Ya mon… ya betta go soon."

As the four Alliance were staring to gear up and gather their weapons, Vaji stared up at Raj. "Big brotha… are Zel and 'em leavin' too?"

Raj nodded. Vaji looked forlorn, and pouted a little as she stared at the floor. "Why's everyone gotta leave…"

Takki had an idea, and pulled Raj's ear down to her level. She whispered into it. He grinned and whispered something back. Takki then eagerly went up to Zelinda as she was gathering her bow and quiver. Zelinda blinked in surprise. "Yes?"

"Uh… please… come back!" she said in Common, catching Zelinda completely off-guard. She gave the young troll a huge grin.

"Yes," she replied in Orcish. Takki looked very pleased, and Rek'kar gave the night elf a shy smile, as if he seconded Takki's sentiment.

"Don' kno' if Ma's gonna let ya come back…" Raj said jokingly. Vaji then said her goodbyes in her usual method, by attaching herself to Zelinda's leg.

"Alright lasses, let's head out before we run inta more trouble," Barrett said as he slung his shotgun over his shoulder. He gave a polite nod to Tal'ika. "Thank yeh ma'am, fer yer hospitality." As he cautiously checked out the door, Millie and Cassandra approached Tal'ika.

"Um… we're sorry for all the trouble…" Millie said as she offered the troll a small leather pouch. "And we're sorry we don't have more to offer you."

Tal'ika gave her a weird look. "Watchu givin' me money fo'? Dis ain' a hotel!"

"It's only a few gems," Cassandra said. "We just… wanted to thank you." She looked a little uncomfortable speaking to the troll, but she did sound genuinely thankful.

Millie nodded. "We really do appreciate it. Thank you."

Tal'ika was a little surprised by the gesture, and hesitantly took the pouch. She stood silently for a moment after she watched them leave. _Maybe dey ain' ALL that bad_… she said grudgingly to herself. She would retract that thought later, however, when she realizes they'd eaten all of her stew.

Zelinda was the last to leave, and went up to Tal'ika. She was silent for a moment, trying to figure out what to say.

"…I, uh… well… thanks." She shifted nervously. "For… you know… not killing me on sight."

Tal'ika smirked a little. "I haven' killed ya _yet._ Dat don' mean I won' in da future, mon."

Zelinda smirked back. "You mean if I ever come back here?"

The troll glared at her. "If ya bring any o' yo' friends again, I'll kill ALL o' ya!" She then softened her tone, and said the next part grudgingly. "But ya can come back, I guess… Ya be family now."

Zelinda gave her a broad smile. For some reason, she felt relieved at the troll's acceptance of her. At that point, Millie popped her head in the doorway.

"Come on! Let's go before anyone else shows up!"

"Sorry!" Zelinda grabbed her pack and rushed after the gnome, but was stopped at the doorway by a hand on her arm. "Zel."

Zelinda looked up at Raj, but before she could say a word, he had pulled her in for a long, deep kiss. After they finally separated, they stared silently at each other for a long moment. Zelinda remembered when they parted ways at Astranaar months ago, when she didn't know if she would ever see him again. Her silvery eyes looked intensely at his amber ones.

"…I'll meet you back here, okay?"

He grinned and put his hand on her cheek. "Ya better! O' else I'll be chasing ya all over Azeroth."

She smiled at him, and as a parting gesture, gently pressed her hand over his. Then she disappeared out the door and into the darkness.


End file.
